


Unravel

by CradleBones



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Changes in storyline, Has Its Fluffy Moments, Language, M/M, Not Fluff, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Slow To Update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-02-13 02:53:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 27,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12974253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CradleBones/pseuds/CradleBones
Summary: "You will live two lives."He never thought those words would be so damning.





	1. Ice

**Author's Note:**

> All right, I feel I should give a fair warning to anyone interesting to read this fic. I really hope you heed the fact that this is tagged as mature, it is there for a reason, Fallouts are set in post apocalyptic world which we all know are deeming with dangers, there will be mentions and description of death, suicide, drugs and everything in between so if any of this might upset you, this is not your fic. I will not tag every bad and good thing nor will I warn people separably before any of the chapters, consider yourself warned. Finally, if you are younger than the rating demands, please don't read this fic.

" _You will live two lives._ "

 

Last thing he remembered was face of his wife, Shaun in her arms, safe, then the world stopped existing.

 

Next he woke up hearing Shaun shriek, the sort of sound that send his hear thumping in his chest, it was a cry of baby who was in distress. Adrenalin, the muffled sound send rushing through his system was enough to rouse Kalyan from his weightless existence, even with clouded groggy mind he was awake enough to asses the scene before him. Men or women in a suits of white, who were trying to rip Shaun from arms of Nora who wouldn't budge. Kalyan tried to jerk himself up from his seat but he was held fast on his place, all he could do was to yell, primal sound that held all his frustration and fear. The voices from the other side came through him faint, muted further by Shaun's bloodcurdling shrieks. Somewhere on the background he heard Nora but wasn't able to comprehend what she was saying.

Middle of the chaos that was unraveling before him, stood a man so out of his place, that Kalyan even in his distressed state could not to notice him. Clad in worn leather he looked misplaced in a sterile white.

With a flurry of movement man suddenly pulled out a gun, time seemed to slow as Kalyan once again tried to free himself, someone was yelling '' _no_ '' and he wasn't sure was it him or Nora, and then his blue eyes met huge rounded brown's of her just before the bang echoed throughout the room and red painted the wall as Nora slumped against the chair she' been sitting at. Kalyan screamed louder now, just pure horror he could not contain. 

One of the white figures took Shaun and the bald man, killer, stepped away, he saw his lips move, then the man turned to look at him. There wasn't anything showing on his face, it was blank when the man now started to address him. His words almost disappearing under Kalyan's own howls of anguish.

" _Sorry, just you know, this wasn't personal._ "

Someone spoke then but the words didn't carry over to Kalyan's ears, the man turned away no longer looking at him. "I said, at least we have the spare." He stepped away and Kalyan was left staring at the red across him.

 

"Shit, he's going into a shock."

_Who? Shaun?_

"Put the cryogenic stasis back on it should..-"

 

_World went away again._

 

\---

 

Hiss of air being released was the first thing Kalyan heard, it penetrated the entombing darkness. Mechanical voice that swirled in life from somewhere sounded loud in his ears.

 

" _Critical failure in Cryogenic Array. All Vault residents must vacate immediately._ "

 

The hiss, he vaguely realised, had come when the door of the pod he had been in had opened, Kalyan tilted himself forward squinting the brightness but his body was anything but compliant. He ended up face down on the floor with a grunt. He didn't remember falling.

 

" _Critical failure in Cryogenic Array. All Vault residents must vacate immediately._ "

 

He took a rasping breath when the feeling of cold, like if he had lied on a snow for hours, begun to make itself known. Somewhere deep inside his mind, panic was starting to rise and he wasn't sure why. Kalyan stared at the empty hallway, lined with egg-like pods, concentrating really hard on the nagging feeling of absolute terror like after the nightmare you can't remember.

Image of a man wearing worn leathers and pointing a pistol floated into his mind. "Nora!" He rasped, his voice failing him. Frail image in a mind Kalyan pushed himself off the floor, his legs almost giving out under him again. he managed to wobble where she was held. Walking felt like he was recovering from a bad fever.

Upon reaching the pod he rested his forehead against it's smooth cool surface, mostly to wait out the dizziness. When he felt he no longer would fall even if he moved Kalyan raised his shaking hand and hit the red button on a pedestal next to him. It beeped once, then the pod doors opened with a hiss and Kalyan took a step back to avoid falling in.

" _Critical failure in Cryogenic Array. All Vault residents must vacate immediately._ "

At first he only stared at Nora and her face that had been frozen in horror, her eyes wide with fear staring back at Kalyan, seeing nothing, frozen tears on her cheeks. Red painted the wall behind her. She was dead, he knew she was dead but the thought somehow did not reach his brains. Kalyan took a wobbly step towards her, whispering her name as he gently took her hand into his own cold shaking one. She was frozen monument of fear. Fear, Kalyan remembered poorly even if it had happened in recent memory. 

Something smoother than skin caught his fingers and Kalyan looked at her hand, her wedding ring shone in dull color in sterile light of the room. Somewhere inside that ring would read ' _Your love is my home._ '

 

" _Critical failure in Cryogenic Array. All Vault residents must vacate immediately_."

 

She was dead. _There was no Nora_. Cruel thoughts wormed their way into his brains and small strangled sound ripped from Kalyan's throat. He slumped against her knees still holding her hand in his much larger one.

 

" _Critical failure in Cryogenic Array. All Vault residents must vacate immediately._ "

 

Mechanical voice continued its monotone broadcasting, the sound suddenly was the most cruelest and irritating sound he had heard. "Shut up!" Kalyan yelled his face still pressed against Nora's knees. The yelling changed nothing and the monotone voice continued on.

Finally, slowly, Shaun's name penetrated the numbness. Shaun was not dead because he had seen them take him. Kalyan craned his neck and looked at Nora's face, he was briefly reminded of story of Snow Queen, expect Nora was never so cold from her heart that she could have fit the role. He brushed his knuckles against her cheek. "I need to find Shaun." He whispered. There were not many places you could hide in a nuclear bunker, Kalyan would find him. He finally found his feet again and pushed himself up, gently he peered the ring off from her finger. Somehow he didn't want to leave it here, he wanted it with him, safe. "I find Shaun." Kalyan knew it was futile talk to her, but he had this need to tell her that he would find their son even if he had to turn the _entire_ hole that was vault 111 upside down.

He stepped away from the pod that had become Nora's tomb and again pushed the button, door closed leaving her into the frozen coffin. Kalyan staggered backwards before he caught himself and turned around. Shivering he started to make his way across the floor and towards the exit, his body was sluggish to react any command he noticed, was it because he had been frozen? Why had he been? Kalyan glanced at the side and caught the face of one of their neighbors, he didn't know the man's name. 

'Occupant status: Deceased. Cause of Death: Asphyxiation due to Life Support failure.'  
Bold red text flickered on a screen near the pod. Kalyan swallowed acid taste in his mouth, red text showed on screens across the room. Seeing the text made him slightly sick of his stomach, he was very aware of him being only being alive in the room. Need to escape from here kicked him on the move and he shuffled across the cold room, stiff legs protesting each step he took towards the door.

The door opened with a hiss and silent groan and Kalyan stepped to the room behind it, his body tense, ready to defend himself if he had to. The room was empty of anything expect dust, and when it became apparent there was nothing or no one in the immediate area Kalyan leaned heavily against the wall next to the door. His entire body shivered in grips of cold making his teeth clatter. All the while Kalyan tried to force his disconnected brains work, to think. He had caught only glimpse of the shelter when they had come here but Kalyan was sure enough he knew the way back, but before this he needed to find Shaun.

He looked around feeling a bit loss, he had no idea how big the place actually was or how long it would be before he was spotted, he had nothing to defend himself, and for the first time he wished he had a gun or something.

Kalyan stood up again and slowly started to make his way across the space. Dust clogged his nose and making him sneeze. He stilled, hoping no one heard, silence remained undisturbed.

He slipped past glass windows, inside rows and rows of pods, all displaying red text. God, he thought, there was no god here though, if there was, there would not be rooms after rooms full of dead people.

Room where he staggered next was as silent as the one he had just emerged from, and as dusty. Silence was only broken by some unknown machines and his rasping stuttering breaths as he made his way shivering through the area.

After a while Kalyan was becoming painfully aware that there seemed to be no one in here, at all. Sense of fear washed over him at that stray thought, Shaun was gone. He was sure of it because at this point someone would bound to have seen him and come running.  
Something cracked under his boot, sound making him stop and look down. He was standing over old dry dusty bones that disappeared into a Vault-Tec suit sleeve. The sight made Kalyan swallow, small hysterical feeling bubbled inside him because he was staring down seemingly really old skeleton of Vault-Tech personnel. Which with all reasonable thinking was impossible, because to corpse to look like this, it would take years. Kalyan hastily stepped back, leaving broken finger bones behind, refusing to look at them longer.

He needed to get out, get warm, get water and food. Image of atom bomb over The Commonwealth flashed through his mind, was it safe venture out? Kalyan's shoulders slumped, likely everyone he knew were dead. What did it matter even if he found a way to a world where he would die of radiation in a few days? Because if he stayed here, he would perish either way.

Kalyan made his way through more dust covered hallways, and around one of the corners he found a security baton. He recognized it painfully slow, almost walked past it before he realized what it was, when he did he stopped and picked it up, it was better to have something he could use defend his life. He brushed off the dust and cobwebs pressing to button to see if the electricity worked, it didn't. Kalyan sighed but decided in was better than nothing.

Next he would need to find something he could use as a clothes, even if he was warming up a bit he was still cold and the Vault jumpsuit wasn't exactly made to be warm, or comfortable because it clung to his skin like a damp bathing suit.

Kalyan's attention was drawn to skittering noise nearby, his pale blue eyes scanned the area, Perhaps he had been mistaken and there were still people in here, just to be safe he pressed himself against the wall. Licking his dry lips he tried to think next course of action, there could be someone else who had made it just like him, or there could be whoever had taken Shaun. After brief initial struggle he finally decided to take the odds and called out. "Anyone there?" At least he wouldn't be surprised from behind he though as the odd noise stopped. No one called back, nothing didn't seem to move anymore.

Silence stretched on, and Kalyan dared to move again, he cautiously drew around the corner, seeing no one through the glass. Had he imagine the sound? He stepped into the room and listened hard for any sounds but the area was quiet. Kalyan kept his security baton raised as he moved further in. The noise started again and this time it came behind him, he spun around just as something size of a rabbit leaped to his face. He gave it a hard thwack and whatever it was fell on floor twitching. Without thinking he just leaped forward and sunk the security baton through the twitching thing and got his face full of disgusting goo.

Kalyan pulled the baton out and gave it a few hard shakes to get rid of vile slime it was covered in. Kalyan cautiously stepped closer what he presumed was a bug of some sort and kicked it over while wiping his face. He made initial noise of surprise when he realized it was a cockroach, gigantic weird looking one but a still cockroach. "What the hell?" He breathed into the silence. Kalyan carefully scanned the room for more, he didn't want to get surprised by more of these.  
 _I have face full of cockroach's insides_ , Kalyan felt his stomach twist in disgust. He tried to avoid thinking about the sticky mess clinging to his skin.

 

At last Kalyan made it to the room that seemed less like place just to store people away in fridges, and more place where someone actually lived, had lived too, if more dry bones scattered around were anything to go by, Kalyan wondered were the gigantic roaches the reason these bodies were picked clean, which wasn't comforting thought at all.

Kalyan absently sifted through the rubble on his way through the room, he stopped when he found a restroom. At this point he was getting really thirsty and so he warily opened the door and peeked inside. Automated lights flickered on tiredly as if they were running out of power and had been left without maintenance for too long. Room was covered with white tiles, and besides sink, toilet and wall mirror it was empty. Old first aid kit laid on the floor and Kalyan who pulled the door shut behind him picked it up and peered it's lid off.

Inside was roll of old bandages and few unused band-aids. He closed the lid and placed it on the edge of the sink together with the security baton and leaned closer to the mirror. The old glass reflected his face, showing the paleness of his dark skin and how his black short hair rested damp and limp over his skull. Kalyan touched the skin under his left eye where dark skin melted away into light tone showing his vitiligo. He looked ragged, sickly, and confused.

Kalyan gave up on staring at his mirror image and tried the faucet instead, pipes gave a painful groan but after a while brown rusted water started to run out. He waited until it turned clearer before tasting the water, metallic tang was evident but Kalyan was way too thirsty to care and gulped down the water, sloppily enough that most of it ended up running down his chin an dripping to the vault jumpsuit.

After sating his thirst Kalyan closed the tap and picked up the security baton and the first aid kit box, content inside was pretty useless but he still might need them. Kalyan exited the bathroom and continued his wander throughout the confusing maze that Vault-Tech had build to 'house' the nuclear survivors.

\----

It took many wrong turns before he reached the part they had used to enter to the Vault-Tech shelter, silence here was as unbroken as in any other place he had been, only a single skeleton lied on the floor near the vault door.

Kalyan stepped closer, pondering how he was to get open the massive door blocking his path when his eyes caught the pip-boy that somehow still was intact, circled around the skeletal hand. He walked closer and picked the dusty old pip-boy up. _Please let it work_ , He prayed silently, because if it didn't he had no way out and starvation to death was his only reality. Kalyan placed the pip-boy over his arm securing it on its place before wiping out worst of the dust. Kalyan had seen people using them before but he himself had almost no knowledge how it worked, so he pressed few random buttons until the screen flashed bright and after some whirling it came alive. Kalyan stared at the screen as the Pip-Boy rebooted itself. After a while it came to alive, displaying assortments of info, mostly the thing seemed empty, displaying text N/A over everything. Kalyan figured rebooting must had wiped away anything personal and unneeded. 

He sorted through things the small device came with; Journal, which came up as empty, it didn't surprise him. Radio, Map, it displayed rather large portion of the area with some small towns and cities, roads and rivers marked. There was additional function for holodisks and games but Kalyan lost his interest, Pip-boy worked and that was only thing he wanted to know.

_October 23, 2287_ , he blinked at the text. Kalyan furrowed his brows. He gave a solid tap to the screen but numbers stayed, I need to reboot it again. He focused on door controls for now, he could ponder the confused Pip-boy later.

Opening the door proved to be almost too easy, he simply pulled out key part of the Pip-Boy and placed it into a hole made for it. Glass covering the red button opened and Kalyan hit it almost without a thought. Shaun was no longer here and if only death waited him outside it mattered him hardly. Monotone metallic voice bid him farewell when he entered the elevator they had used to escape to the underground.

\-----------

The scant light hanging low on horizon made Kalyan squint his eyes against it. Sky above him was cloud cast, light rain tapping the landscape around. His Pip-Boy declared the time was 7:16 P.M

Kalyan took in the scenery that once had been grassy hills, what now had turned to dead and decaying. Trees stood up in a skeletal like forms. Grass that poked from the muddy ground was mostly dead. The area around Kalyan made his skin crawl, hundreds of human bones littered the ground no matter where he looked, skulls and rib cages poked from here and there. Kalyan's eyes darted around the area while something akin of dread, something, that had hounded him inside the Vault already, begun to lift its head. World looked dead. He drew air into his lungs, half a mind call out, for who? he didn't know, and the voice came out from him in a strangled sob and his throat felt tight, too tight for words or emotions that seemed to swirl inside him.

He stood there a while, long enough that the light was slowly fading more and dead trees cast long shadows over the ground. Then somehow world came back to him, and he remembered that he should probably move, standing in the open clad in nothing but thin Vault suit, dehydrated and tired while rain pelted down on him would get him sick and dead very fast. _That's okay, the world's dead too alongside anyone else I knew_. Bitter thought invaded his mind, he almost wanted to sit down on the ground and stay there until he too stopped from existing.  
Shaun was not dead, Shaun was lost and alone and needed him. Kalyan started to walk, he snuck into empty booth that housed Vault 111's controls, something that resembled old blood stain decorated the wall, Kalyan was vividly reminded the Vault-Tec personnel sitting in the booth at the times bomb fell. He swallowed and crouched down, to go through some cabinets near the control panels, there was only a roll of duct tape in one of the shelfs. He stood up taking the tape roll with him, placing it inside the first aid kit box he had taken with him from the Vault. On the way out he passed another First-Aid box but its lid was already open and quick peer inside told Kalyan it was empty save for a lonely spiderweb and some mouse droppings.

He went outside again, there was no direction he felt was good to take, no indication where Shaun's takers might have headed and it was impossible check for tracks in a relative murkiness anyway. So Kalyan decided to head down the hill, hoping Sanctuary Hill was still intact, perhaps it would provide shelter, and clues.

Huddling his hands close to himself Kalyan started his trek down. He felt hyper aware of every noise, rustle in dead bushes and odd sounds in distance. Kalyan felt terror he had last felt years ago, the kind people pretended feel in the movies where unknown creature lurked in shadows and ate their friends. Fear, he decided was good, it made him move, as long as he moved he would stay alive.

Before him, what was left from small sleepy suburb formed. He blinked, looking the sad skeletal forms of houses. Some, he could tell as he got closer, had collapsed, but some still stood dark and empty, expect one.  
Kalyan frowned and peered into the darkness, yes, there was definitely light coming from one of the houses, counting the houses left Kalyan was suddenly struck with startling realazition, light was coming from his and Nora's house.

Kalyan sprang into the run, sudden adrenaline pushing away the stiffness of his muscles, tiredness and cold. He ran down the street to the front door and nearly frantically fumbled with it. Keys, he needed keys, he had no keys. "Fuck, keys.. where'd they?" They had no keys when they left. He barked out a short airless laugh, of course he had no keys, fucking nuclear bomb had been heading towards them. In a last attempt he placed his hand over the door knob.

It clicked open, the door wasn't even locked. Kalyan blinked stupidly at the relative dimness of his house, frozen because he hadn't expected the door just fall open under his hand.

"Now, stay quite still whoever you are!"

Kalyan was startled by the sudden voice and didn't stifle the yelp he let out as he whirled to face the direction it came, without much of a thinking he drew out the security baton he had recovered earlier, his first aid kit clattered to the floor as he dropped it in his haste. He smacked the security baton against something metallic when whatever it was emerged from the cramped hallway of his ruined home. The thing nimbly avoided worst of the hit but to Kalyan it was enough time to dive behind the kitchen counter. "I'm not looking for trouble! I just-" He what? Looked his son, shelter, used to live here.. Kalyan kept his back pressed tightly against the counter, at least the thing didn't got behind him.

"By the.. _sir?_ " Voice suddenly turned to less threatening, more confused, softer.

Kalyan peeked around the counter, his fingers still tight around the baton. Rusted form of Codsworth came into his view, Kalyan was able to see the robotic butler in a dim reflection of whatever light source coming from behind.

"Codsworth?" He asked equally surprised. Kalyan would have thought the robot gone, burned to ashes with rest of the world.

Both of them lapsed into a stunned silence, staring at the other in mutual confusion.

Then the robot broke the silence, "I eh.. You're alive Sir, I didn't think.. I didn't anyone survived. You and mum, you were gone so long." Codsworth was fumbling with words, robot's voice broke occasionally. It almost seemed he was trying to convince himself that Kalyan was real.

"How long?" Kalyan asked, his own voice breaking from lack of water.

"Ah.. its uh, not so great importance. I'm sure you would be more interested of some food and water, you look rather terrible if I may say."

" _How long_ Codsworth?" Kalyan asked again, more determined this time. He hoped briefly that Nora would still be here, Codsworth had been with her longer than with Kalyan, and she got him to talk without riddles.

"Er.. but the food, I'm sure Miss Nora would hate to return here and had not at least some snack prepared her at first."

"Codsworth please, I.. I have no energy for games right now. Just, just answer me."

"Its been over two hundred years Sir.." It sounded like words were dragged out by brute force when the robotic butler finally gave in.

Kalyan closed his eyes against the humming in his ears. Two hundred years? He had been dead to the world for two hundred years.. What if Shaun had been taken hundred years ago, and he was now awake and alone and his son died somewhere abandoned and scared just like Nora had. 

A tiny poke to his right got Kalyan snap open his eyes, he half raised the baton but lowered it right back down when he saw that Codsworth had just moved closer, one of its robotic arms remained half stretched towards Kalyan. Robot was very clearly examining him, and if he would have had face, Kalyan was sure there would have been core penetrating stare on his stupid British face.

"Sir?"

Kalyan was starting to feel sick. He shook his head to rebel out Codsworth's voice.

"Sir, I don't think ist good to sit on floor, you look quite pale too. I really must insist on that food."

He was only half listening the sound of Codsworth speaking, it was much more easy to sit against the kitchen counter and stare at the rusted wall of what once was his home.

"..Miss Nora-"

"She won't come." Kalyan said with a hollow voice. He didn't want to talk about Nora.

"Won't come? She has decided to stay in the vault? With Shaun? Did you two had a fight?" Codsworth sounded positively puzzled.

"She's.. Shes not.." Kalyan' voice shook and broke horribly, words got stuck in his airpipe and he swallowed hard even if there wasn't any moisture left in his mouth.  
"She's dead. They killed her. Took Shaun." He finally whispered, silence that followed was loud in his ears. He didn't dare to risk glance at Codsworth-

"That.. That is absurd! Of course she's not dead. I think you're confused, yes! absolutely!" Codsworth was rambling which was telltale sing robot was attempting to shield himself from negative emotional onslaught.

"Stop." Kalyan muttered.

"We should go back, get Miss Nora and Shaun. If there was a some lover spat I'm sure she-"

"Codsworth stop!" Kalyan snapped at the rambling robot, adding more silently "There was no fight.. She was.. she was shot."

"Shot? Sir by.. _whom_?"

The way words were said, made Kalyan want to vomit. Whom? sounded lot like, _did you?_ To Kalyan's ears. Careful tone the robot was using reminded him even more time after he had come back from the war, still so full of memories that sometimes reality seemed to blur.

Kalyan turned his head towards the robot, his eyes felt damp. "I didn't." Was only thing he said.

They lapsed in silence and Kalyan let his eyes roam in the dim kitchen, he noticed some of the stickers were still on, writing long since vanished from them. Baby bottles littered the counter, he didn't want to look at them at all so he turned his gaze to the open glassless window from where the wind blew right in.

"Someone came in to the Vault. A man, he looked.. he looked like someone who had jumped out from post-apocalyptic movie, there were others, bunch of people in white. They took Shaun, I don't know where he is." His head was beginning to hurt more he thought the details, but Kalyan knew he needed them before they would slip from his mind. He turned to look at the silent robot again. "I need to find him Codsworth."

For a creature so vocal, Codsworth remained very silent, perhaps he was considering same thing Kalyan had. That Shaun might have been taken years ago, and might not even exist anymore. Or perhaps robot still thought Kalyan had shot Nora himself.

After a while robot made a sound as if deep sight, it came out like many tiny cogwheels whirling very softly. "Concord is nearby, and, well, the people there have only shot at me a few times..." 

Kalyan stared at the robot, he felt lost. He had no idea how going Concord would help him find Shaun, though the small indication that there were people still alive felt perhaps bit comforting.

"Perhaps you find some help there, or at least someone could point you to right tracks.." Codsworth seemed to be at least as at loss as Kalyan himself was.

He had crawled out of Vault, and was now stuck at his own old house without any clues of where Shaun was, who took him and killed Nora.

With a soft sight he planted his hand against the counter and used it as a support to get himself up. Though he felt suddenly awfully lost in his own house, cold and full of holes. Kalyan started to make his way towards the narrow hallway, knowing he didn't have energy to go further than this house tonight, so dragging his feet he made his way to the room that once had been his and Nora's bedroom. The bed he saw right away as he entered, had long since rotted away. Only a few wooden blanks remained on the floor, some furniture was still intact, and on a corner where once had been their closed, sat lonely mattress with a sleeping bag on the top of it.

He raised brow to it, Codsworth didn't sleep as far he knew. Kalyan almost turned around so he could call the robot and ask about it, but then he decided he didn't really care enough right now. Instead he made his way to the makeshift bed and collapsed on the top of it, with a minimal energy he wormed himself inside the worn but surprisingly well made sleeping bag. Security Baton he tucked next to himself, for easy reach should he require it. 

Kalyan wasn't sure would he fall a sleep at all, he didn't want to, but the emotional and physical drain he had been experiencing had left Kalyan so exhausted that he didn't even noticed when he drifted to sleep.

 

-

Waking up was disorienting, Kalyan felt stiff and chilly when he cracked one eye open. Sound of fright came from him as he found three robotic eyes staring intently down on him. Kalyan's hand instinctively flew on the security baton left next to him but as his sleepy mind caught up with his eyes he forced his body to relax somewhat.

"Codsworth?" Kalyan asked, voice heavy with sleep.

"You're awake!" Robot greeted with almost overly happy voice. "Good, I wasn't sure.. Never mind! I found something edible for you, and oh.. water, the kind that isn't contaminated by radioactive waste."

Kalyan watched as the robot whirled around, humming too loudly, too casually. He's trying to normalize this, Kalyan realized as he pushed himself up. Kalyan raked one had through his messy dark hark hair. He took in the scenery behind the gaping holes that once had been windows, had the glass been blown out when the bombs had hit? Or later? On the outside all was decaying, Sanctuary Hills was full of collapsed houses and rusted metal. Scene was sad, it made it hard to believe there was any humans left on the earth at all. With soft sight he proceeded to stand up, it felt harder than it should have been, Kalyan wanted very much just curl down inside the sleeping back and fall back to sleep. 

He managed to get up, and started to make his way to the kitchen where he heard clanks and clinks as Codsworth did, whatever he did.

Which turned out to be arranging all sorts of small objects that still littered the house. On the table there was can of emergency water, some sort of canned meat, label was pretty much worn off. there was also, Kalyan noted as he came closer to the counter and hauled himself to sit on the top of it, assortments of things he recognized. First was his trifolded flag, the one he always kept tucked away in the closet, inside the small suitcase. Then there was a tiny blue car that belonged to Shaun, he touched it's peeling paint with a trembling fingers. He felt like iron band had been placed around his heart as he gently cradled the tiny toy car in his hands.

Kalyan gently placed the car near him, not wanting to part with it and took in rest of the objects. There was holodisk without anything written on it, and a faded, cracked photo just under it. As he took it in his hand he almost dropped it, it was his and Nora's wedding picture, its edges were tattered and paper had been badly damaged but one could still see the image. He almost crumbled it in his hand as the emotional onslaught began. They were younger in it, happier, smiling.

Image of Nora's face as the gun was pointed on her, her blood spattered all over the cryopod flashed through his mind, Kalyan closed his eyes briefly, he didn't want to remember that now.

"Sir?"

Kalyan took a can of water in his hand, placing the picture under the toy car. He looked at Codsworth who had stopped organizing little things he had likely found around the house. 

"What?" He asked, placing the now half empty can of water back to the counter. He felt slight irritation being hounded by robotic steward, but Kalyan couldn't blame him doing so, it was his own short nerves acting up as his brains tried to understand the time leap that had occured. Kalyan rubbed the bridge of his nose and took the canned of whatever meat it was to his hand.

"Nothing sir. Nothing at all."

"What's in the holodisk?" Kalyan asked, ignoring the robot's odd fidgety behavior. He peered down into the brown gelatin trapped mass. He sniffed it once, just to be sure before he looked around for something he could use to eat it.

"I found it. I believe the Miss Nora was going to present it to you. As a surprise. But then, well... everything "happened."" Codsworth said, there was tiny sniff when he finished.

Kalyan stopped his progress of getting off the counter, instead he turned to look the orange holotape that sat neatly on the counter. He made a move to take it, but after letting his hand hover over the thing he left it lie where it was, instead he went to search for a spoon or a fork. Kalyan had a feeling that if he listened it now he would simply just break and he couldn't do that, not while Shaun was somewhere and he still needed to find him.

After a brief hunt, he found slightly bend and rusted fork, ignoring Codsworth's hovering Kalyan started to eat. He didn't have much of an apetite, he felt exact the opposite, which was almost absurd seeing how he last ate around two hundred years ago. Even if the thought of swallowing cold slimy meat wasn't appealing he did it anyway. Because he needed to stay on his feet and so he needed to eat. While he ate a thought crossed his mind, Kalyan turned to examine Codsworth again. "There's a bedding in the bedroom." He said, taking another mouthful rubbery meat.

"Oh, that. Some woman came through here while ago, it was terrible storm an all, seeing that your house is only one still attended and she asked very nicely I thought letting her stay wouldn't harm anyone." Codsworth said, lifting its robotic arms slightly, as to shrug. "She didn't take anything, or didn't try to scrap me either."

"I see.." Kalyan had hoped that perhaps the bed had belonged one of the kidnappers after all, even if the thought disgusted him to the very core.

He placed the now mostly empty can of meat to the table and turned to look once again outside. Kalyan was trying to prioritize what he needed, better clothes, it was cold and vault jumpsuit didn't offer much protection. He also needed a gun, if what Codsworth had been telling to him was true he would need something that had longer reach than the crappy security baton. He sighed softly, then slowly he ventured to the door. Perhaps there were things he could use.

"Sir where are you going?"

"To see if I can find something to wear, among the other things." Kalyan muttered as he opened the door and stepped outside to the crisp autumn day. Wind made him shiver and wish he would find a jacket.

 

\--

Kalyan's scavenging hunt didn't really yeld much, Sanctuary Hills having long since been raided by others. He did succeed to find some clothes and surprisingly, a handgun and few bullets. He hauled what little he had found back to his house where Codsworth was turning critical eye for most of them. 

"Did you check the cellars of your ex-neighbors Sir? Them being dead I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you took some things nessecary." Robot asked as he picked up worn brown winter coat.

"Most of them are locked." Kalyan replied while picking up jeans that would fit him and a white sweater shirt.

"You if I remember correctly, are quite adept picking locks." There was clear accusation in robot's voice.

Codsworth, hadn't really been impressed when Kalyan, having forgotten his keys one occasion during winter while Nora had been away, had let himself in like a burglar. Kalyan pursed his lips and took the coat from the robot.

"Most locks are rusted shut." Kalyan replied as he disappeared to the bedroom, robot had taken to it upon himself to drag some parts of collapsed houses to build a wall around the windows and Kalyan was glad, it kept the wind blowing in.

He dressed fast, his skin going into goosebumps when he stripped the vault jumpsuit off. To avoid standing around in cold in near nakedness, Kalyan tugged the worn, dark jeans on and pulled once white, now more yellowish colored sweater over his head. He had found decent pair of socks but had to keep the boots which he had acquired from the Vault 111. Over the rest he tossed the worn winter coat that was almost his size, perhaps slightly too big. It kept the chillness out together with the sweater, though the later scratched his skin uncomfortably without anything between the shirt and his skin.

Now that he was dressed, Kalyan emerged from his room, but instead of going to the kitchen he stepped into Shaun's room, only crib stood empty at the corner of the house, he turned to look outside, lips slightly pursed as he tapped his fingers against his right leg.

He needed better gun, food, water, almost everything, leaving here would be a risk, staying would mean certain death. Kalyan wanted to stay, because Sanctuary Hills was familiar, safe, and because he wanted just sit down and sleep. Sleeping and dying won't help Shaun, Kalyan thought, his heart aching a bit. With a soft steps he wandered closer to the empty crib, touching the weathered wood with his hand, texture felt rough under Kalyan's skin and flakes of paint flickered off.

Sight of it was almost too much for him, a lump formed to his throat and Kalyan had to bat his eyes to get rid of the burning sensation. he exhaled once, through his nose. His hands had started to shake and he withdrew the one still holding on the crib railing lest he broke the thing even more.

For Shaun he had to stay strong, and if there was no way to save his son, if he'd come too late, then he could break.


	2. Smoke

Two days Kalyan spend on Sanctuary Hills, recovering. The cryo-sleep had left him more weakened than he had first thought. Kalyan was plagued by horrific headaches and nausea which drove him back to the pile he considered as his bed, and Codsworth had been kind enough to bring him a bucket after it became clear Kalyan during those fits would proceed to puke out everything he had inside him at the moment. When he could he searched around the neighborhood for any useful items he might need, using these rare moments to escape from Codsworth who had taken it upon himself to doting after Kalyan until man felt crowded in the presence of the robot.

On a third day Kalyan finally found the courage to cross that invisible boundary and left, because if he didn't leave now he would never leave at all.

 

Kalyan trekked down the cracked road leading to the old foot bridge that would take him away from Sanctuary Hills. The bridge was half collapsed into the river but still seemed to be mostly untouched by rot and bugs, which was remarkable considering its age. He had tested the bridge yesterday a bit because while the water was shallow it was also cold and Kalyan didn't fancy taking a dip into the river. When he stepped on it now the wood under him groaned a bit as he maneuvered over the bridge, staying well away from the railing and the part that had fallen down.

On the other side the road went on in a lazy bends, and far behind hills, the Red Rocket's sing was visible against the grey sky. Kalyan stopped and glanced back, even if he had only crossed a bridge he felt like it had been miles he'd been walking, Kalyan hadn’t ever realized how menacing the forest around the road had looked, but now he was bit too aware of the fact that it led into uncharted wilderness that went on miles. There was growing urge within him to turn around and return. _Nothing you can do, just keep walking_. Because what other options he had? Run back in Sanctuary Hills and die there, he could take a breather in Red Rocked, provided it wasn't completely demolished.

Kalyan got himself moving again, standing in a biting cold wind wasn't going to solve anything for him. He tugged his coat more firmly around himself as the particularly strong gust blew from the north, it rustled in the dead trees and blew dust and dead leaves around in a loose circles. Cold air bit his ears and made Kalyan wish for a scarf or a hat, he had made this same trek in a more inhospitable weather before but now he wasn't able to count on warmness that would wait in his destination.

A rabbit was startled by his sudden approach and the animal darted from the bushes across the street. Kalyan drew his gun from its place between his belt and jeans, fight or flight instinct kicking in, but stopped himself just for short shooting the creature. "Fuck." He released a curse in a breathy growl and tugged the gun back between his belt. He had almost wasted one of his far too few bullets on a pointless jump scare.

Codsworth would have warned him if there was something extremely dangerous, sure the robot had never taken much shine on him, but seemed genuinely happy that Kalyan was alive and the robot had never seemed a murderous type anyway. 

Kalyan stepped over a puddle of something that was smeared on the road, he was pretty sure it was oil, not wanting it to end up on the soles of his shoes. But stopped then short, from a distance something prickled his ears, a familiar sound. He turned his head slightly to listen, the sound he recognized as a barking and even from a distance he could tell it was a big dog and angry one as well. 

On a second Kalyan had the gun back out, he knew very well what could happen when you ran across dog hell-bent on protecting its territory.

After a one last lazy curve Red Rocket finally came into a full view and Kalyan saw what was transpiring on there.

On the yard, huge scrawny German Shepherd was facing a pack of something that resembled closely gigantic bald rats. The rats, it seemed, had an upper hand by the numbers but the dog wasn't backing off. Instead it stood at the middle and puffed its chest to appear larger, teeth bared in show of aggression.

One of the rats made a lunge towards the hound from the behind but dog caught it before the critter got too close and snapped its jaw around rat's face, rat retreated squealing, leaving a line of red where it retreated behind the truck shop. 

Four rats still remaining, only spared a small glance to their retreating and injure brethren, the closest rat hesitating only in slightest before they grew bold again. They seemed to know they had advance or they just didn't fear a lone dog.

Again, another rat tried its luck and lunged to the dog that got hold of it before rat could sink its thumb sized teeth into hound's throat. This served as a perfect distraction other rats, as the dog wrestled with the one it had caught, another creeped up and sunk its teeth to dog's hind leg. Dog yelped and turned but it let go and backed off, avoiding the sharp teeth of the angry canine narrowly.

Kalyan who watched the scene unfold before him felt ire for the dog that was here alone against the bunch of rats who were determined to rip it apart. His hands were surprisingly steady when he fired and shot the rat furthest away, not daring to risk hitting the dog. It had been some time he'd last touched let alone used the gun.

Sound of his gun drew attention of another remaining rat, it stood still for a brief moment, considering and watching Kalyan, he saw its nose twitch furiously before the animal started to scurry towards him showing it's nightmarish teeth.

_Shit!_ Kalyan shot once, twice, and rat fell to the ground, his own eyes bounced back at the remaining one, his fingers still hovering near the trigger, dog got hold of it and tossed it around furiously until the creature went limb and the dog let it fall from its maw.

Dog turned to watch Kalyan, who still nerves wracked after the fight aimed his gun to the animal that now came towards him before actually taking in its general body language. Its tail was furiously wagging in excitement as it half limped and half trotted up to him and Kalyan slowly lowered his gun. Animal came straight to him only stopping when its nose almost touched Kalyan's hand, dog attempted few exited hops but gave up pretty fast. Probably it was discouraged by the injured leg.  
For a small moment Kalyan hesitated before he flicked on the safety of his gun and put the weapon away. He crouched on the eye level with the animal and held out his hand. "Hi there, how you are here all alone?" he asked.

There was an eager whine when a wet nose nuzzled in his cold hand, poking the skin between his fingers as the dog sniffed him. Small smile tugged Kalyan's lips as he watched the dog, at least someone is happy here.  
Dog moved to press its nose against Kalyan's cheek before licking the small stubble growing there. Kalyan lifted his hand to shield himself. "Alright that's enough friend." He murmured, gently stroking shaggy fur. "It’s a while you've seen a good meal, hmm?" He observed before switching to look at the wound that was dripping red on the fur.

The vet in him wanted to do something to help the dog but he barely had anything on him and doubted the place where they currently were, was packed with any kind of medical equipment. Still the Truck shop would at least offer shelter he decided before standing back up. "Alright, come on." He wandered inside the Truck shop, followed closely by the limping dog whose tail was still wagging, even if a bit lamely.

"You mind if I take a look?" Kalyan asked, not that the dog would particularly understand but he hoped that talking with it would help to keep the dog calm. He hitched closer the wounded limb. So far he was allowed to, even if the dog kept close eye on him as Kalyan scurried closer to see.

He could see where the rat had bitten, the fur was matted with gore and he didn't even have to see the actual wound to know it probably was very painful, teeth had just sunk right in.

Kalyan kept a close eye on the dog as he gently parted the fur with his fingers, he wrinkled his face to the wound. It was nasty, the rat had really aimed well. Dog growled at him as his fingers skipped bit too close to the wound. "Shh now, I'm just looking." Muzzle right now would have been great, he didn't want to end up with a set of bite mark on his own. Kalyan left the wound alone and stood up looking around mostly empty truck shop, he had feeling there would be nothing really to use cleaning the wound but Kalyan still decided to at least try.

 

It was no a great surprise when he found absolutely nothing he could use, things here were only value of someone interested in scrap metal, there was plenty of junk and tools but nothing one could use to fix people or animals, so he had to resort to use one of his can of emergency water and some of the sad pile of bandages he had found earlier. "Let's just try to work with this." Kalyan said.

He arranged things he needed to his side for easy reach and then while murmuring gently some utter nonsense, he uncapped the water and started to pour it over the wound with steady stream, using his thumb to gently clean out the blood from it. It still bled afterwards but that was something Kalyan had expected and used a sleeve of his jacket to stem the bleeding before he rolled some worn-out bandages over the bite. He feared that there would be more than likely infection, but perhaps the dog that lived in a nuclear wasteland would prove sturdier than the pampered pets Kalyan was familiar with.

Giving one last look to his handiwork Kalyan stepped away from the dog who still wagged his tail at him. They watched each others in a silence before the dog turned its head to sniff its leg, poking the wrapping around the wound.

Kalyan watched the animal to do so and corners of his mouth lifted into a tired smile. "So did you get lost, or are you just wandering about yourself?" Kalyan asked starting to scratch dog from under its chin when it got bored inspecting the bandages. Dog whined at that and opened its jaws taking a firm hold of Kalyan's sleeve, and tugged it once firmly. Kalyan raised brow to it. "Care to let go?" He tried to pull his hand free. Being a toy in a tug of war wasn’t something he was interested.

Dog tugged his sleeve again, with more force and almost threw Kalyan off balance before it let go and trotted to the door and slipped out to the yard. Kalyan watched it to go all the way to the gasoline bumps that jutted from the cracked concrete where the animal stopped and turned around, and Kalyan could already tell from the puffed out look, that the dog was about to get loud, Please don't..

He had expected it but when the dog started to barking at him, he still jumped from the sound that seemed to echo for a miles. Kalyan really didn't want to draw attention to himself but it was impossible now, if there was anything nearby they would have heard the dog that jumped back and forth and kept barking like it had gone mad.

"Shit, Shh! What the hell are you doing?" Kalyan growled as he stumbled after the dog with all the intentions to somehow silence it. As he got closer the dog sprang into run, darting all the way out where the commercial advertising Red rocket stood, as soon as the dog saw Kalyan stop it started to bark again.

There was long string of curses at the tip of Kalyan's tongue when he resigned to follow the dog with hastened speed. He was aiming towards the Concord anyhow, if him following the dog there kept animal from announcing their presence to everything that might lurk around he could do that too. "All right, All right I'm coming.. Just, keep quiet." He hoped the dog would be reassured enough to keep silent now that it had his attention.

 

 

Dog kept darting forward before dashing back at Kalyan, occasionally it would stop and stand very still, watching him until it would run off again. As they neared the edges of Concord Kalyan started to wonder how far the dog would lead him, he realized with a sinking heart that he had hoped to see people at this point, some sort of dystopian colony thriving in the wastes, that the dog would have led him to its owner perhaps. He had to wonder how long ago it was when Codsworth had last been here? Because to Kalyan place looked absolutely deserted and by the looks of houses he passed, no one had lived here in a while.

Kalyan stilled as a loud noise resonated from the downtown area, he turned his head to listen intently at the sounds which made his heart wrench into painful knot, gunshots. He swallowed and turned to look at the dog that had stopped as well, he saw the fur on its neck standing up. _Just don't start barking now._ Kalyan pulled out the crappy handgun he had found earlier, checking the bullets he had with him, way too few for a gunfight Kalyan knew.

He swiftly moved closer to the crumbling houses and pressed himself near wall of what had been a vintage bookstore long ago, Kalyan had been a regular visitor upon it once. The dog he'd followed out here left him, started to make its own way towards the firing. Kalyan swallowed again his eyes darting around the buildings, he saw nothing in the empty windows, which didn’t reassure Kalyan at all, there was still a good change someone lurked inside with a gun aimed at him. He watched at Dog several meters away from him, he really didn’t want to leave it.. _All right, I can take a peek._ He started to move again staying low to minimize any visual contact, and to his utter surprise Dog suddenly returned to his side, often glancing up at him as to wait for something. This was definitely someone's pet, dog was way too well trained for being some random stray.

 

 

Finding the right direction wasn't exactly hard; all Kalyan had to do was to follow yelling and almost constant sounds of gunfire. His hands were squeezing the handgun perhaps little too tightly as he creeped closer. Kalyan was all too aware how little protection he had against bullets or anything else really, one good shot and he would drop and cease to be, one bad shot and he would likely get infection and die anyway. Next to him Dog was radiating heat like a campfire and he felt the tremors that ran through hound’s body where its body brushed against his thigh, it was as tense as Kalyan himself, they both ready to jump at the first sign of danger.

Closer now, he could smell and even taste the gunpowder and blood that hung heavily in the air, it was easy to see that there was full blown war going on. Bullet holes and few bodies painted him the landscape and it was easy to see where the fight had first broken out. Kalyan tried to avoid looking at the faces of the bodies too long as he quickly assessed what he saw. The majority of the dead seemed to be of ragtag group, crude tattoos across their faces but two bodies stood out with their odd militia hats and similar getup. So the fight was between the two groups he reasoned, of what seemed some sort of farmer militia and bunch of other people. He moved past the bodies, never noticing how the blood colored hems of his pant leg red.

Beyond the few cars toppled over Kalyan finally saw the stage of fighting. Group of people were shooting up towards the balcony and shattered windows, and Kalyan counted at least three people up there firing back at them.

A bullet shattered one of the remaining glass window.

"Careful man! If ya kill her Boss's gonna fucking fray us!"

There was no way Kalyan could exactly assault seven men alone with a handgun, and there was no really away to ensure that those inside wouldn’t be hostile to him, too. So he crouched low behind a tipped over car watching how one of the assaulters were yelling to people upstairs give up some old lady, and Kalyan couldn't fathom why.

Kalyan was debating what to do when Dog suddenly abandoned its place beside him, Kalyan all but forgotten. The flurry of movement surprised Kalyan and automatically he raised the pistol in his hands, half pulling himself from behind the cover. Hail of bullets sent on his way drove him back behind the car even if he wanted to dive after the dog. He was now pinned and waited heart clenching to hear that high pitched sound dogs made when they were hurt badly, all he heard was Dog's mad barking and people yelling over it and someone's voice climbing in a howl of pain, Kalyan didn't need to risk a look to know dog had successfully attacked someone.

He sucked air into his lungs and made another peek, this time readying his gun and himself.

Dog had wrestled a man clad in leather on the ground, and huge dog with sharp teeth were proving to be hard for the man to overcome, at the moment he was trying to keep angry dog from getting on his throat. 

Kalyan switched the safety off, his aim stuttered a bit as he pulled the trigger. He watched the gory mess paint the pavement and lot of the dog's face red as bullet lodged itself into the man's brains. He avoided looking at it too long, it really wasn’t a sight he wanted to be burned into his mind, too close to the scenery that had been laid before him when Nora _had_ \- that wasn’t a line of thought Kalyan wanted to follow now.

"Jesus fuck no!"

Sound of bullets hitting the ground and the rusted car made his ears ring as he sought shelter behind it again. _Fuck fuck fuck_ , was he now really going to die over a one fucking dog? He had handgun against an obvious assault rifle, there was no way Kalyan would come up on the top with these settings. Then a sharp sound of glass shattering to the ground halted whoever was shooting him, Kalyan smelled the smoke and petrol from nearby, the firing ceased partly, presumable while people on the street were scurrying away from the fire.

"Come on! Get on inside, take the dog with you!" Someone yelled.

Kalyan didn't think twice. He sprung out from behind the car into a full speed dash, yelling the dog to follow. Door of the museum had been thrown open, two men holding it and shooting at the general direction of their attackers, Kalyan had not time to think anything but reaching the door, since the gunfire behind him had started anew. He felt few bullets pass close enough that he could feel the heat they emitted, then he was on the stairs and half jumped and half fell inside, dog slid past him on the floorboards as it came to halt from the run. Behind Kalyan the door was pulled shut, and he heard bullets hit it but none got through.

"They'll be shooting at that for some time."

"It holds now but if they get something bigger we're in trouble."

"We're already in trouble."

Kalyan pushed himself up from the floor, keeping the gun on display both as a warning and to let two other men see where it was. They had bigger guns after all, and they had just saved his life.

he watched two men tie something looking lot like a telephone cord around the handless before the other one shoved a metal pipe through them for an extra measure.

The gear these men wore, bore the resemblance to the ones he had seen on dead ones before. Though, between them there were differences, one being a cowboy hat and revolutionary gear worn by a man whose skin color was several shades darker than Kalyan's, perhaps sign of rank? He thought.

There was the brief moment when all three of them just looked at each others, guns on display as they decided how to proceed, and was there enough trust between them to relax enough not to shoot. Other of the two, man with a chestnut brown hair licked his lips and gave a sideway glance to the Cowboy hat whose dark eyes were locked on Kalyan’s blue’s.

Dog came to sit by Kalyan, tail wagging against the old floorboards. Kalyan gently brought his hand over the dog's side, stroking the coarse fur there. "So I guess he's your dog?" He asked unsure how to break the silence.

"Not quite, although he's been with us for a while now." Cowboy hat replied, his lips twitched into a drained smile, "We let him out last night when the raiders gave us ah.. Few hours rest."

"I thought that was the last we saw the dog honestly, but look at that here he is. Again." Brown haired man exclaimed. "And now you're caught in our mess as well it seems. Too bad it didn't think of bringing an actual cavalry."

"Dog wouldn't stop barking until I followed." Kalyan offered.

"He certainly can be a mulish at the times, yet you followed him, few would have, most would have just shot him and made a meal out of a lone stray." Cowboy hat was eyeing Kalyan with his dark eyes almost curiously now.

Kalyan didn't know what to say at that, since he had just followed dog out of fear it drawing wrong kind of attention, the thought that the dog was seeking help hadn't even crossed his mind.

A loud kick against the door, that should be pulled, interrupted the moment, Kalyan took a nervous step back even if the door didn't seem it was giving in anytime soon. Building he knew, had quite a few windows which worried him now that there was angry bunch of people with murderous intent just outside. "Did you secure the windows, and any other doors?" He asked.

"Most of the lower lever windows were barricaded already when we came in, same as the doors, we did the rest. Only way to them to get in here is through second floor windows and that would require ladder, which at least yet, they don't have." Brown hair flashed Kalyan a taunt smirk, "Won't stop us to starve to death though." He added more darkly.

Heavy sound of footsteps drew Kalyan's attention away from the pair before him, he watched a man come running up overpass crossing the museum's mid-section, dressed in heavy if a bit cuffed and grease stained navy blue winter coat.

"Are you holding a picnic over there? It's starting to get pretty hot up there, had to move others to the hallway because our friends down there almost shot Marcy in the face!" Man planted his hands against the rickety railing, and Kalyan felt it was a wonder the thing didn’t give out from under the pressure of those arms, which were almost a size of a two small logs.

"Sturges did you get the door open yet?"

"No, I didn’t, the damn thing just won't open."

"Fuck, don't suppose you know how to hack, or bypass security locks by other means?" Brown hair mumbled, moving a step closer to Kalyan.

Kalyan frowned, shaking his head slowly. "You tried a password on it?" He asked, as far he knew the museum was just full of old costumes and replicas from time of revolutionary war, hardly useful in a fight against apparent Raiders.

"No, we thought it would be safer trying to hack the door open. That didn't really work though since Sturges been up there two days now trying to open the damn thing." brown hair said, then pointed up to the hole in a roof, "Up there, there's a Power Armor and we need fusion core for it, but it’s beyond that fucking door."

Kalyan watched the Cowboy hat move through the debris littering the ground, two hundred years’ worth of decaying things, to the overpass where the man named Struges was carefully leaning against what had been left of railing there. Behind him from the huge hole jutted a peak of an old rusted Vertibird, _it’s a miracle that hasn’t fallen it yet_.

Even if Kalyan was caught into his own turmoil, to find Shaun, to try get his bearings in this strange world he would call himself a liar if he didn't admit that these people, cornered like rats, didn't pull his pity, dying like this one of the worst thing he could even think up. Kalyan started to walk where the Cowboy hat held a conversation with the man on a overpass. Upon noticing him approach man on a upper floor stopped talking and The Cowboy hat turned to him his head tilted on the side ever so slightly.

Kalyan didn't know how much he would be of help, but he could try, very least he might earn himself a favor from these people that way, if they even survived from this. Kalyan cleared his throat and looped his handgun onto his belt. "The door that you're trying to open, where's it at?" He asked.

"Downstairs, just hop down from the ledge.. but it’s not much of a use without a password and we tried to look everywhere before we started trying hacking it." Cowboy hat explained. “There is a lock for key but its rusted shut, really bad luck wouldn’t you say?”

"Can I see?" Passwords were half the time not as complex as people expected them to be. He knew very little of computers but he could still handle getting in some of them.

"There's three set of tries, after that’s it goes in a lockdown which is why I suggested hacking it open, so try not to mess up please. It’s hard enough trying to crack the thing while there’s bullets’ raining from the windows. I don't want to handle a lockdown too" Sturges said, massive frown had creased into his forehead as he stared down at Kalyan.

Kalyan nodded and turned. Avoiding the trash and broken glass, he went to the direction he had been pointed to. The floor was charred slightly black on the edges of collapsed part, floor had probably given in at the same time Verbirt had lodged itself on the top of the museum. He hopped down, last night rain had left floor wet and slippery and Kalyan almost tripped over when he landed to the basement.

His eyes took a moment to adjust and then he found himself staring at the security gate where behind he could see the Fusion core these people were after. Voices floated above him but were too muted to really understand and so he tuned them out, focusing on the terminal before him. He brushed his fingers over the dusty keyboard, thinking. While the fusion core was expensive and dangerous, almost every building with their own power source had these, machines providing power often sat on the corners of old dusty basements very much like this on. The password, Kalyan reasoned, was liable to be something simple enough that regularly changing staff could remember it.

He stared at the keys under his fingers. _It must be something simple, probably something related to this place too._ At least that’s how it had always been on his workplace.

Kalyan pressed his finger down on a few keys, slowly typing out a word. _Would it be that simple?_ Kalyan held his breath when he hit the ‘enter’. He watched the tiny progressing text flicker on the screen before it flashed ' **ACCES** '  
_Well that certainly wasn't very creative._. He pulled open now unlocked door and took the Fusion core, perhaps he should have warned the others before doing that he thought as the lights begun to flash before whole museum went dark. He heard an audible curse come from the upstairs.

Fusion core securely in his hand, Kalyan emerged from the basement and found himself under a scrutiny of three set of eyes, making him feel slightly pinned down.

"Well damn, to think we'd been trying to crack the door open for a days and you waltz right in and just open it like magic. Mama Murphy may have been right about her mysterious stranger theory." Man on the overpass grinned, gesture visible even in scant daylight pouring from the rooftop hole. "What was the password?"

"MuseumofFreedom, but with the o's changed to zeros."

There was brief almost stunned silence in the hall before people around him erupted into a sort of hysterical laugh, one related to situations like these. Kalyan handed the Fusion core to the Cowboy hat who gave it to his brown-haired friend who then took off leaving trio standing in the hall.

A pat on his shoulder made Kalyan flinch, he'd not been expecting the gesture but he didn't shy away from the touch even if he tensed under it.

"Thank you." Cowboy hat said, his voice had taken tired edge that even the pale smile on the man's lips didn't chase away.

"I only typed out a password.."

"Still, thanks." The Cowboy hat removed his hand from Kalyan's shoulder, perhaps he had noted how stiff Kalyan had grown under his touch, which was relief to Kalyan, touch had made him feel cornered. "We could use another gun, I know that you just sort of got caught in our mess but there is only six of us and only four of us can fight, the Raiders have an outpost nearby so.. We're outnumbered."

_Badly_ , Kalyan thought, but said instead "Would you have a spare gun?" Nodding to his own small handgun, it wouldn't be all that great in asset in a fight like this.

"We have something you can use."

 

It was like the curios moment inside shattered then and the suddenly the Museum turned into a flurry of action, Kalyan followed Cowboy hat, who had introduced himself as Preston Garvey. They made their way into the upstairs where two people were sitting on the hallway. Dog who had joined them pranced off tail wagging when he spotted old woman wearing blue and some odd glass bead jewelry, when they passed her, she grabbed Preston by the sleeve. Kalyan saw that her fingernails were extremely long and yellow, reminding him some witch out of fairytale.

"Something is coming and whatever it is… _Is angry_ , I can see death." She whispered as she let go.

Preston's face darkened slightly as his brows furrowed, but he didn't comment the odd warning in other than with short. "Noted. Lets go."

Perhaps the woman was odd in the head?

They left the old woman and the man siting slumped on the floor behind and went for the door that let them to the rooftops.

It was colder on the outside with the biting October wind that ruffled the hair and dug into their coats, Kalyan briefly stopped survey his surroundings and noticed one more person had joined to them, woman with a dirty shoulder length hair. Sturges too had made his way here and was now doing some last moment adjustments on a large old T-45 Power armor, which was remarkably, still in intact, while the man who had taken off with a Fusion core hovered nearby, his fingers drumming against the brick wall with clear impatience.

Preston handed him something he described as a Laser Musket. The name alone almost made Kalyan groan out loud, word musket didn't inspire him a hope that the gun would actually hit its target. But he kept quiet and gravitated to the secluded point where he perhaps bit stiffly laid down to survey the street below. He made a quick glance to the group which was busy preparing to the fight, the way this seemed to be routine to them told Kalyan that they had done few times already.

Looking back Kalyan spotted few Raiders, as they were referred, lurking in a nearby buildings. Right now they seemed to be observing their group just as Kalyan was observing them, lookouts then. Most of them seemed to be almost lounging around in relaxed manner not in hurry to move in position or anything, so it was unlikely they had noticed something had changed inside the Museum. Raiders would be in for a mighty surprise once Power armor would make its first appearance.

"You're a sniper?" Preston's voice floated in from above.

Kalyan who hadn't heard his approach startled slightly but didn't take his eyes off from the Raiders, he had counted four but suspected there was more hiding inside. "I suppose so. There are four men out there, one in the second floor of the candy store two are by the bakery, and one is inside the atelier. Lookouts I think."

"Then they ought to launch another attack soon. They have been attacking us two days now."

"Why?" He watched how the man hiding in a candy shop slipped into staircase and out of his view.

"Their boss wants one of us, Mama Murphy. She says he knew the kid years ago." Preston crouched behind the end of an air shaft, Kalyan noticed that the man hadn't straight up answered his question but didn't press it, it really wasn't his business anyway. 

"You do know these guns won't be good at sniping right?" Preston asked.

"Word musket in a name kind of a gave them away." Kalyan said.

"Well at least they shoot laser, even if you don't get a direct hit it still leaves a hell of a burn marks."

They could have been using flamethrowers against the Raiders then; even if you didn't die you got terrible burns and perhaps prolonged death.

A sudden sound of shattering glass and burst of flames cut the conversation short, Preston leaped out of the way and Kalyan had to abandon his post when edges of his coat caught a fire, hissing curses he rolled away from the edges, towards the center, since apparently those bastards below had Molotov's too. At first there was just lot of yelling, then shooting and then all hell broke loose.

Like Kalyan had suspected there was still more Raiders in buildings, they poured out like ants once the fighting started shooting towards the rooftop. Kalyan swallowed curses he had on the tip of his tongue and aimed, then shot. His first shot didn't go anywhere near the mark and he narrowly avoided a bullet that chipped a piece of brick off next to him. He reloaded; it was tedious task of turning a crank wheel with his hand, like Preston had shown him just moments before, after he had loaded another Fusion cell inside the gun. He took another aim, wind didn't affect the laser but the gun itself wasn't accurate at all. His next shot hit his mark in the shoulder though and the Raider dropped down behind the mailbox. Another Molotov shattered against the building somewhere but he hardly noticed, loading another cell inside the gun then again turning the crank wheel.

He shot again, this time he Kalyan someone on the chest, there was no time to check did they die or not, he was already reloading and shooting again, when he missed he tried again. Overall course of battle didn't really seemed to be on their favor, when they downed one, more Raiders just burst out from somewhere. He shot another one in the leg and ducked away from the hail of bullets she send on his way.

Briefly the advancing group of Raiders froze, then they started to duck behind every available cover, Kalyan had split second to time wonder why before he heard sound of Minigun spinning alive, bullet rain that followed shredded every Raider who hadn’t been fast enough. Power Armor was finally on the play and men and women below weren't stupid enough to run Gatling gun's direct path.

Kalyan shot Raider hiding behind the corner of the baker, safe from the Minigun, he hit her on the knee but it was enough and she fell backwards out of sight. Beneath him something shattered again and bitter smell of smoke assaulted his nose. Kalyan didn't have time to ponder on that, he was busy trying to shoot another Raider who was aiming too well for Kalyan's comfort.

"They set the Museum on fire!"

Kalyan didn't know who yelled it but the effect of the words were immediate, their defenses faltered, and Kalyan felt like his lungs had frozen from inside. He tried not to think of flames that burned inside, did they lick celling already? And ground his teeth together getting up, his right knee protested with a muted pain. He dashed across the rooftop where their declining ammo was held, he tried not to look at the doorway where the black smoke was pouring out.  
Sturges had moved to help out the old lady Kalyan had seen before, and he was relieved to see that Dog was with her, not straying far from her side. 

Kalyan grabbed a handful of Fusion Cells for his gun before rushing back at his spot. 

He focused on shooting the Raiders who were trying to use panic at the rooftop to their advances, since at this point only Kalyan and man in a T-45 were the only ones providing the cover, other being too busy to trying to figure out how they would get out of here safely, before they all burned alive. 

Over the general ruckus Kalyan heard odd bellow sounding down the street.

Raiders scattered then, not fast at first, some still were busy firing back at them and some just stopped an looked behind themselves as if determining had they heard the sound too, and then they ran, Kalyan watched as they abandoned any resemblance of fight and started to run and Kalyan saw why. Huge beast lumbered down the road all fours making enraged noises as it closed in fleeing Raiders. Creature with its horns, as thick as Rhino's and size scale close to elephant with sharp claws was something out of Sci-fi movie. Kalyan watched in morbid horror as it reached the Raider group sending the slowest men and women trying to find cover from any place they hoped was too small for the creature to fit in. He had to look away when one of them got caught by beast's massive claws.

Over the screaming on the streets he heard Preston shout, "Come on! We evacuate to the church!"

Kalyan was on his feet instantly, no need to tell him twice. He ran across the rooftop and only stopped once he reached the others. 

Crashed Vertibird had made part of the Museum roof collapse against the Church roof, it created narrow but solid looking pathway to them, on the other side Church had roof full of holes and it looked lot less supporting than the roof they were now standing. Kalyan swallowed, he let the elderly woman and the man from the corridor go before him, then Preston ushered Kalyan on the pathway, he made effort not to look down when he stepped to the narrow walkway.

He heard the old wood under him groan and moan as he reached the roof of the Church, his boots slipped on the rotten roof tiles and Kalyan scampered hastily with his hand to find purchase until he stopped slipping. Air seemed to get stuck on his windpipe when he briefly just held still all fours with stiff fingers dug into the cracks filled with moss and mud. He only got moving when Preston came up behind him and gave him a solid push.

Only one not yet crossed was the guy in T-45 Power armor, from Kalyan heard sound of Minigun’s constant firing and the howling of the beats.

Kalyan made his way to the bell tower with slow and careful crawl, avoiding any spots that looked they might collapse if he stepped on them, he sat beside the elderly woman who was watching as Sturges and another woman checked out a huge hole on the roof. Dog was balancing between them its tail low, Kalyan could see that the animal was clearly contemplating could it jump in or not.

"I think we can get down and inside the church if we hop down and if we can find the ladder rest of you can just climb down nice and easy." Sturges said over his shoulder, "Would make it easier to Mama Murphy."

"And what if we don't find any?" Woman snapped.

"We'll think of something." Preston said.

Kalyan slumped against the bell tower and rested his back and head against the old wood, he was out of breath and noticed his hands were shaking. He wasn't sure was it by a fear of being this high up without a solid barrier between him and the ground or from the burning exhaustion he was starting to feel. Hand with is claw-like nails on his knee got his attention and Kalyan looked at the old woman next to him, she gave him smile full of yellow teeth.

"We make it out of this yet kid. I've seen it." Her eyes seemed to be bit too misty to belong a person wholly in this world.

Kalyan showed her a shaky forced smile and even that seemed to drain him more than smile should have. He wondered should he say something to her. Was it a good idea to talk old and pretty obviously slightly crazy old woman? But shout from their right saved him from thinking up any reply as they both look at the direction of the others. Dog had apparently overcome his fear and leaped through the hole, Kalyan's heart skipped a beat in a fear that animal had injured itself but none of the others appeared to be alarmed, and his fright calmed as the woman next to Sturges followed Dog inside.

Kalyan's hands were still clammy when he was called to follow the others, only the promise of solid ground offered him some comfort.

 

 

In the end they all made it safely inside the church. The T-45 man just jumped off the Museum roof as there was no way he could have followed them through the same way they’d saved themselves, or go through the museum. They hadn't first dared to move further from the narrow staircase in fear of the beast outside, only when the T-45 guy had come in with his still smoking Minigun held in both hands, had they dared to emerge. 

Creature was gone and Kalyan let a tiny sigh escape between his dry lips. He was for better or worse, still alive and perhaps one of these people could tell him where to direct his search next.

"Let’s move out before we attract more trouble." Preston said.

Kalyan detected shakiness on the man’s voice.

Small group made its way throughout the ruined street littered with mangled bodies, bullet holes and now a dead creature which Kalyan learned, was called a Deathclaw. Sight was upsetting, it resembled scenes he had seen during the war, ones that still plagued his sleep too often.

Near him a woman whose name was Marcy, he got the information through the conversation between her and Sturges, was urging her husband to move and not to look. The way these people were twitchy and tense, told Kalyan they too had seen scenes like these before.

No one wanted to linger and the group more or less limbed through the Concord, Kalyan followed because he was exhausted to a point it felt hard to lift his feet, and because Preston had gently urged him to tag along.

 

 

 

Hike back to the Sanctuary took double the time it had taken Kalyan to get to Concord. People were dead on their feet, dog limbed and so did the man wearing T-45, and rest were more or less bruised.

 

Kalyan, as soon as they crossed bridge to Sanctuary dissolved himself from the main group, dragging his feet as he made his way towards his ruined house. Dog to his surprise followed him there. Kalyan had been greeted by perhaps slightly panicked and then overly fussy Codsworth, who had been bit alarmed when bunch of strangers staggered into Sanctuary, robot had immediately asked Kalyan were they going to drag some trouble after them.

"I don't think so.. any trouble left alive will think we burned alive in the Museum of Freedom." Kalyan mumbled as he dropped down to the mattress in a ruined bedroom like a sack.

"By heavens Sir! Why is the Museum on fire?"

"Bunch of Raiders set it on fire to get us out." He said wearily, brushing a thumb over a scrach on his cheek, he felt the splinter in there and took off his glowes so he could pull it out.

"Well, its certainly burning merrily. You can see the smoke even here if you go to the window."

"How cheery."

Kalyan pulled the splinter out and winched, it left a stinging sensation on its wake and he rubbed a hand over the spot smudging his knuckles with bit of blood. From the outside drifted in voices of the strangers he'd just shared a battle and he just had to wonder: _Now what?_

At this point he was too exhausted to even thinking of moving. he knew he wouldn’t get up even if he wanted to and so Kalyan resolved to leave the questioning for tomorrow. It had been a very, very long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We get to see bit more Preston yet, and Sanctuary Hills will make appearance again but Minutemen and their guest line will run mostly separate from Kalyan's own journey. – As will other factions’
> 
> \- Radrabbits are thing in Far Harbor so I don't think it’s a far-fetched to say they can be found in other places as well.  
> Let it be noted also that this fic will be slow to update, mostly because I write it only when I have spare time, and it also takes lot of time to edit and form the text so I dare to publish. So the slowness is not due my lack of interest.
> 
> // Edited some tags and added new one.
> 
> \- Thank you for reading<3


	3. World

Mama Murphy came to him in that evening as Kalyan sat by an old oil lantern; his house Kalyan had discovered, didn’t lack on such things since Codsworth had collected little bit of everything over the long lonely years. He was sorting out assortment of things into an old worn backpack, one that Codsworth had found while Kalyan had been on Concord at the museum that was still on flames if the thick black smoke was anything to go by. There was a knock on the door, an absurd gesture from anyone and Kalyan heard Codsworth answer, he couldn't think any reason why any of these people suddenly came to him and the visit was a surprise to Kalyan.

He straightened up as the old woman entered the room, on her other hand there was a bowl of something she placed on the top of one still intact drawers. "We had ourselves quite an adventure back there," she said, her milky eyes taking in the room, first the makeshift walls to block out the wind, the small mattress and few furnitures still standing before her eyes finally stopped at Kalyan. Who all too keenly knew what a mess his home had become.

Kalyan swiftly pulled the zipper of his backpack close before speaking, his tone carefully neutral as he said, "I didn't expect visitors."

"Perhaps you could offer an old woman a chair?" She said, her lips curling into a mild smile.

Kalyan made a sound on the back of his throat, feeling bit like a child when his grandmother would chide him forgetting his manners. Kalyan rose up abandoning the backpack on the mattress and made his way to the kitchen, there was only one chair that seemed sturdy enough despite the rust and he took it with him back to the ruined bedroom, where he set it down to Mama Murphy to sit on, he himself returned to the mattress and sat down cross legged looking at the old woman who sat down on the old rickety chair across him.

"There is sorrow in this house, in you, old ghosts that mutter in half-light. You knew this place once long ago, it is part of you as you are part of it, I can feel it." Mama Murphy had distant look upon her face, almost as she was seeing something very far away.

She probably was, Kalyan decided as he was relatively sure she was stoned, he had heard people speaking this kind of nonsense before while under the influence.

Her eyes suddenly stopped roaming around the room and snapped back at Kalyan with a look so intense it made his skin crawl.

"I told them to send Dogmeat out because I saw you, I saw you leaving that ice box and find yourself in a world that had long since left you behind. The others were expecting an army but I always saw only you even if I didn't know would you follow the dog. The future and what is, is always changing and even I can't tell for sure what will be."

The words seemed to burrow themselves right under Kalyan's skin, he swallowed hard and then felt stupid reacting so strongly to the words from drug addled mind. "Are you alright?" Kalyan asked, because what else you could ask when someone comes into your house in a state like this. Perhaps he should go get someone to take her away.

She gave him another smile, her eyes downcast and voice sadder than before. "You doubt which I tell you, you are not the first nor will you be the last kid. But I know what you seek. _Your son_."

Kalyan's stomach dropped and it felt like the ice from the cryopods had somehow been transferred inside his lungs. _How can she know?_ His hands were trembling when he clambered over to her and grabbed her arm, he was so close he could smell whatever she had been using, overly sickly sweet scent. "How can you know?" His voice came out broken and trembling. Had she seen the ones who had taken Shaun? Had she spoken to them?

"I saw it. _No, no_ , not as you think kid. I have always had the sight, to use it I need the chems and so most won't believe I see anything at all but I do. Because then I go to sleep and I see, sometimes I am above and sometimes I see as the person sees what happens to them."

Kalyan shivered and without him noticing tightened his hold on the hand he was holding.

"When we entered Concord, two weeks ago, I took some Jet because I needed to see our destination, to comfort those who still were left and I saw it but then I felt deep pain, so fierce and bitter I could not ignore it and it led me deep underground, and then _I saw you_. I saw which made the wound in your soul, the death and the theft."

Hand touched his own, and for a woman with a talons like bird of prey, her touch was gentle when she patted his hand.

"You long for your son.. He is still alive. I can feel him like I feel you."

Kalyan felt very vulnerable all of sudden, Mama Murphy seemed to mock him more than help. "Just stop this, what the fuck this even is if you know where Shaun is _just tell me_." He didn't care he was crying, because for Shaun he would beg and cry and crawl.

"I cannot for I don't know where he is. But I can offer you this kid, Diamond City is the center of trade here in Commonwealth. All the people and all the stories pass through its streets. It is there where you can start looking for him because he once was there."

Kalyan was silent and stared at his hand clutching at her's, he removed it, briefly wondering had he left a bruise. Kalyan blinked away the blurriness in his eyes before speaking, "I don't know where it is, your city."

"You don't have to kid, Preston will take you there."

"Why? I hardly know any of you, we're strangers."

"You have trusted in the kindness of strangers before kid." She said sternly, breaking the dreamy atmosphere. "He takes you because what I saw at the glimpse. You're his guide as much he will be yours. He believes you lead him to the path rebuild what he lost."

"Because you saw that?"

Old woman tossed her head back a bit and let out a low laugh, it made her seem ages younger before she settled again. "I saw that when he comes with you, he gains us a leader, for now he may believe it's you, and perhaps it is I didn't see, then again it might be an man lying face down in a ditch, as I said Future and a present is ever changing."

Silence fell over them, Kalyan still sitting on the floor on his knees wiped his face, few tears still trickled down to his chin though. The old woman regarded him for a time before the moment was shattered by one of the settler's calling her name. 

"Ah, I have over stayed, you should eat too while the food is still warm kid, there will be lot of cold meals for you out there, that is Commonwealth for you."

Kalyan watched her as she rose and made her way to the doorless hole, there she stopped and looked back at him. " _You will live two lives_ you heard it before."

Then she was gone, Kalyan stared at the dim hallway his food all but forgotten. Those words brought back a memory from years back, old woman with hair long and grey sitting across him tea-cup between her hands, she spoke to him a length but all he ever remembered from that evening were her last words, '' _You will live two lives_.'' 

That night, Kalyan didn't sleep but tossed and turned about in his makeshift bed. He only dozed off once but as he did he was soon jolted up from the dream by feeling of cold fingers stroking at his cheek and Nora whispering his name, he gave up at 4:30 AM. 

\--- 

It was around six in the morning when he ventured out, once he had started to hear voices from across the street. On his way out Kalyan stopped to examine Dogmeat, hound was eating and drinking alright but leg was still sore, at least the wound under the bandages didn't smell or ooze anything even if it was slightly red around the edges. I need to ask something to treat him with, Kalyan thought as he finally left Dogmeat be and went to the door. Dog didn't try to follow him as he stepped outside. 

The air was cool and sky cloudless. From a distance he could hear jackdaw flock but other than that the morning was silent, broken only by the low murmur of people inside what once had been home to Ms Rosa. She had been one of those people who made it to her mission to know everything about everyone. Kalyan hid his hands into his jacket pockets as the cold air bit his fingers and hastened his steps but at the door, that was really just a hole now, he hesitated. Kalyan watched the people gathered there, they were all huddled around a hotplate where above on a pot something cooked on it. He wasn't sure could he actually impose, sure Mama Murphy had promised that Preston, the apparent leader of this small group would lead him to Diamond City but Kalyan still faltered. _You should observe them longer, you can’t trust them blindly_. 

"Come on in, its cold out there." 

Kalyan was brought back to present by Preston's voice. Man had removed his ridiculous cowboy hat so Kalyan finally saw his full face. It was strong and angular complete with big brown eyes and short black hair. His age was hard to guess, man could have been anything between his mid-thirties to early forties.  
Kalyan nodded, not missing a way how the single woman in the group looked at him, her eyes narrowed and she sat little closer to her husband squeezing the mug she was holding so hard that her knuckles were turning white. Her posture was hostile but Kalyan could recognize the fear on her eyes, he pretended not to notice her as he stepped inside and seated himself in a vacant chair bit apart from the others. 

Across him, Preston's face split to easy smile his eyes crinkling at the edges and corners of Kalyan's mouth twitched in response, not quite a smile but close. He could already tell that the man wanted to draw him into a conversation and while Kalyan didn’t feel like talking much, he knew he must somehow build a bridge between them. 

"So I get the impression that you.. live here?" Preston started while scooping porridge from the pot, into a chipped bowl he was holding. 

Kalyan wasn't sure was he allowed to partake this so he remained sitting, keeping his hands curled loosely over his knees. 

"I used to, long ago." Kalyan replied, he didn't want to hand out too much information to them. 

"So what happened to the people here before...? We never heard.. anyone living here." 

To Kalyan's surprise it was the otherwise silent man, Long, who spoke up. Man's fingers twitched when his eyes briefly met Kalyan's he seemed a nervous wreck, something that Kalyan recognized well. 

Kalyan shook his head briefly, "It was really long ago, they're not here anymore." 

"Oh.. um I'm sorry." Long muttered before dropping his gaze to the hands on his lap. 

The way Preston's eyes lingered on him made it really uncomfortable to sit in the room with this bunch Kalyan only shared a brief bond forged by yesterday's fray. Preston spoke again, this time he asked would Kalyan want to eat, so he nodded and took the offered bowl it was worn but not dirty. 

Kalyan scooped some porridge into his mouth, taste was bland and lacking salt or sugar but he was still starved enough that taste really didn't bother Kalyan, food was still hot enough that it burned his mouth when he swallowed. He let his eyes roam, Mama Murphy wasn't here and neither was the man who had yesterday wrestled with the Deathclaw wearing a power armor, perhaps the man was still resting, there was just him, Preston, man with overalls that poked from under his winter coat and two Longs. 

"So you don't mind us settling in?" Man in overalls asked, smiling at Kalyan. 

"I'm not going to stay, so no." Kalyan said lowering his spoon, "I only ask that you let the robot who resides here stay. This place is his home." 

"As long as he behaves I see why not, I have no trouble with robots." Preston replied. 

"He behaves." Kalyan took another spoonful of the porridge and swallowed it slowly. "I need another favor, I need to go to the Diamond City, and I need someone to guide me there." He turned to look at Preston. 

Preston rubbed his chin considering Kalyan's words "Making a trip to Diamond City takes a few days." 

"You can't seriously be considering that? We don't know him. He just said he lived here but then he supposedly can’t go Diamond City on his own, for all we know he's a.." Other Long, spoke up. Her hands were gripping the mug so hard it was wonder it didn't break under the pressure. 

"There's a plenty of folks who have lived around here for years but haven't been in Great Green Jewel Marcy." Man in overalls cut in, his tone forcedly light. 

"Still we know nothing of him!" 

"He helped us though didn't he?" 

"Our mess just picked him by." Marcy's face was flustered and her lips were trembling slightly as she looked at Preston. 

"Listen, I know we just settled in here and dividing our numbers is a risk, but there would be some advances to me to go and visit Diamond City. We need supplies and traders don't exactly stop this way. Winter is coming and we can't live in pile old scraps so I don't mind giving him the escort." Preston said his hands raised up. 

Marcy leaped up so fast some of the content in her mug sloshed around and dripped over the worn floor. "Of fucks sake! You can't be serious! We already lost most of our group and now you want to risk yourself for-- for this stranger?" 

"We need those supplies Marcy.." 

Her husband placed his hand over hers but she pulled it free. "Not you too Jun." shoulders set all tense she looked every bit like wanting to continue the argument but in the end she just huffed before marching outside. 

Kalyan suddenly felt very awkward sitting there, being center of an argument hadn't never been his favorite thing in life and so he quietly stood up, still holding the half empty bowl of porridge. "I should go." He avoided to looking at Jun. 

Preston shook his head, "You can stay." 

"I'd really should get back." 

"Alright, give me a day and a half then we leave for Diamond City." 

Kalyan nodded, he felt slight guilt by dragging this man along, but he didn't voice any of this, instead he said. "Thanks, and if it's not too much, I need something to treat the dog." 

He deliberately avoided to looking at Marcy who stood near one of the collapsed houses hands crossed over her chest and glaring daggers at Kalyan who skipped over the ruined street back to his house. 

Of course Codsworth immediately wanted to know the topic of discussion but at least the robot was more familiar company than the group he'd just talked with. 

\--- 

It was day and a half when Preston and Kalyan met at the old foot bridge. Kalyan stood against its worn railing, Dogmeat sitting next to him while Kalyan absentmindedly scratched its head. He watched Preston make his way to them, man was better equipped to the road than Kalyan was, un-surprisingly since Preston had his whole life to adjust the shit the world now was. Kalyan's own backpack was lightly loaded but Codsworth had made sure there was everything he had been able to find and Kalyan might need, ten cans of purified water had been stuffed into it too, because Codsworth apparently could filter water from the air. 

Preston met him with a ever present smile, one Kalayn could not decide was genuine or just a mask. Kalyan's own lips twitched in a pale response. 

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting." 

"Not really." He wouldn't be able to go anywhere on his own anyway. 

Preston's smile widened, showing a hint of teeth. "I would have wanted to set out in morning but well.. You’ve seen state of things here." Man stepped past Kalyan to the bridge and he followed. 

"I see Sturges found you a working gun, good." Preston nodded towards the old battered sniper rifle that was slung over Kalyan's shoulder. 

Kalyan brushed his fingers along the line of a sling that kept his gun secured. Gun was old, slightly modified and in a need of some repairing but it was in a good condition, even if it missed a scope. Stock was made of wood, and even if it wasn't in a pristine condition you could see that whoever had made the gun knew them and really loved them too. It felt a little heavy to carry, it had been so long Kalyan had to carry one, but sniper rifles were more familiar to him than other guns. So he hummed at Preston's observation, before replying. "It’s a good gun, though I have to fix it a bit later." Or learn to fix it, perhaps have it fixed for him. 

Preston laughed at that, "A little fixing? You need to at least buy a new scope to it, though I would consider buying a better one later. To be honest it was probably only gun good enough we could find." 

Or the only one they could part with, Kalyan didn't held that against them, he had long since learned to rely on kindness of strangers and this was in his book an act of generosity, he had made to do with less before. Kalyan had already got hang of what sort of world this was, _I can't rely on goodwill out here that's a sure._

"It is better than what I had before." 

"I can't argue you with that." 

They made it over the footbridge and closed now to Red Rocked, the abandoned truck stop stood still and empty and only testimony of struggle on its yard before was rotting corpses of those giant rat things Kalyan had learned were called Mole rats. He watched how few crows picked apart their carcasses. 

"I'm surprised nothing bigger and nastier hasn't come along already." Preston mused as the man followed Kalyan's line of sight. 

Kalyan didn't ask what was bigger and nastier because he wasn't sure did he want to know, especially after the giant horned animal they had fought back in Concord. 

As they made their way through the area of Concord both men kept their weapons at the hand. Place smelled heavily of smoke and its stinging taste lingered in Kalyan's mouth. On the sky more crows circled over the town where Kalyan knew the carcass of the beast lay alongside the Raiders. The smell in the area as they strayed too near was something that made both Preston and Kalyan cover their noses, momentarily Kalyan felt his windpipe tighten, picture of _unnamed bodies rotting in hole on the ground_ flashed through his mind, Kalyan shook his head to get rid of the image. "Let’s take the other side of the town." He mumbled instead. 

To his relief Preston readily agreed, they didn't go near the Museum of Freedom or the Church but what Kalyan saw between the buildings told him that the fire had nearly consumed the old museum full and parts of the Church. 

"That was one big fire, glad it didn't burn the whole town." Preston said, his brows rising slightly. 

"Are the big fires common?" Kalyan asked, he dared to lower his gun a bit, so far the area had seemed deserted. 

"It depends really, on dry periods the risk is bigger, since there is so little you can do once something out there catches the fire." Preston said, "But honest, the big fires, the ones you can see miles away. Those are stuff of nightmares; they flare up every now and then. Sometimes all it takes is a spark from a campfire and 'fum', all you can do is hope it doesn’t head on your way." Preston mimicked the flames with his hands painting a lively image of fires rising up. 

They made it clear of Concord, leaving the burned area behind them as they now stepped into the wilderness. Kalyan felt his jumpiness return, wildlife and wilderness had always remained to him an alien place even if to his companion this hardly seemed a problem. He kept scanning every bush almost expecting some horribly mutated creature jump from there. If Preston found this behavior odd he didn't bring it up, which Kalyan was glad of because he was sure the talk would turn back to vault 111, he wasn't so sure how much others knew or suspected of his origins or were they aware of Vault at all besides Mama Murphy and for now Kalyan wanted to keep it that way. 

They traveled mostly in silence as Kalyan didn’t feel like talking, he felt that each question would just serve as a more questions being bounced back at him, ones he could not really answer. Silence was heavy, awkward kind of a way, _I just met you and don't really know what to talk about_ , way. Only thing that broke the quiet was the wind that occasionally rattled the branches, Dogmeat's attentional whining and their boots scraping against the cracked concrete. 

Preston broke the silence after a four hours, the sun was fast descending behind the horizon and Kalyan was struck with horrible realization that it was getting dark really soon and unlike world he left behind here it would mean they would be stranded in night alone. 

"There’s a trader post up a head, Drumlin Dinner. I need to make a stop in there." Preston spoke up. 

"Are we going to camp there?" Kalyan was relieved to know there was at least some sort of human activity nearby, it brought him more comfort he could ever had thought possible. 

Preston's lips twitched to ghost of a smile, his eyes dropped to look at the pavement for a brief moment, "Afraid not, any other time I would say yes. Great place to swap news, grab food and make good bargains, almost as good as Bunker Hill or Diamond City, but now? No." Man sighed long and heavy. "Look, you gotta understand that while I think you're a good guy we still shouldn't make lot of noise about ourselves or Sanctuary and people up there, I need to ask you to keep quiet about that okay?" 

"Sure." What else could he say? Talking to bunch of strangers would be a bad idea in general when you were from a whole different world. Kalyan adjusted the rifle on his back and stuck his hands into his Jacket pockets, it was getting chilly again. "You don't need to fear me giving up anything." He added. 

"Thanks. It’s just, our whole journey was complicated already and it’s best we just keep hush hush." 

They lapsed back into the silence, even Dogmeat had quieted down while ago, his limp returned, Kalyan wanted to check on the animal as soon as possible. 

\--- 

Drumlin Dinner had lights that made anyone spot it well before they were near, wind carried voices of people talking and laughing and Kalyan could count at least six campfires around the area. His lips formed a half smile as he laid eyes to the old Diner; he had often spent some time in there with few of friends. We never did met up in Friday. Thought was randomly brought to him when he and Preston started to near the Diner, Kalyan felt a lump crawl its way up his throat and swallowed hard shoving any emotions he felt away. 

When they reached the Diner Kalyan copied Preston who adapted a slow relaxed walk style. It, Kalyan figured had more to do with the want to show others they were no trouble than Preston actually feeling safe, Kalyan certainly didn't feel safe at all. 

Few people glanced up as they came into the parking area but most were too assorted in their own conversations, forming a loose circles where they smoked and talked, to really care who were the two new comers. Kalyan didn't follow Preston inside and stayed out instead, from the window he could see Preston lean against the counter talking with the likely owner of the place, a woman whose face he couldn’t make out. 

Leaning against the rusted lamp pole Kalyan pointedly kept looking at the scenery, trees and bushes rather than making eye contact with anyone at present, and while he had been afraid that someone would actually come chat him up no one came except Preston after ten minutes being inside and they continued on. 

\--- 

It was dark when they made it to the Starlight Drive In, desolated and sad place where cars laid rusting over the cracking pavement some holding their dead owners inside, and the big screen that had once shown movies was now grey and lifeless missing some of its panels. Kalyan remembered the place when it had been alive. He cautiously looked around as he followed Preston towards the Drive In, place looked far from welcoming. 

"No one really comes here so we should be safe for the night as long as we don't make too much noise." 

"I can't imagine why." Kalyan replied dryly, place looked wrecked. 

Preston chuckled as he pulled the door open, "After you." He said and Kalyan slipped in. 

Inside smelled of dirt and rotten leaves, there was pile of newspapers and other stuff littering one corner, perhaps someone had used them as a kindling once upon a time. Kalyan stepped into the stairs leading to the projector tower lighting the way with his Pip-Boy. There was fair amount of rust over the stairs but they were solid. Very old movie posters covered the walls, most too faded to see what the subject once had been. 

The projector tower had various objects scattered around, old lanterns, and candle stubs, few cans of dog food and seemingly two years old issue of something called 'The Public Occurrence.' Kalyan picked it up, he had not thought that in this wasteland people would actually read something that resembled a newspaper, as he discovered it was. Kalyan rolled it up and stuffed it into his backpack for a later viewing. 

Then he headed back down to help Preston set up a place to camp for the night. 

"It's gonna be a pretty cramped here but I think we fit in, and I think we dare a lit a fire for little while. As I said, no one really comes to Starlight anymore." Preston was digging through his own backpack, taking out matches and two cans of potted meat. 

"Because it’s a mess?" Kalyan asked. _The place is a mess_. 

"That too, this is just one of those places that has the negative reputation you know, people have mostly used it as a short stop but then it stopped too." Preston shrugged and held up the matches, tossing them to Kalyan. 

Kalyan who caught the matches just and just turned them over in his hand, He painfully admitted himself that he only had really thin knowledge how 'camping' worked. He squeezed his hand around the matches bit harder than it was necessary and turned around to find something to burn. 

Wood, he knew, shouldn’t be too damp and smaller ones would catch the fire easier. He found old newspapers and pieces of rotten, worm eaten wood that he piled just outside the doorway. Perhaps Kalyan should have asked help from Codsworth earlier, instead of just sitting around and letting the robot do everything. But he hadn't, the thought of survival skills hadn't even crossed his mind on those early days. The self-pity he now felt Kalyan viciously stamped down. 

Stacking the wood into something that Kalyan knew resembled a campfire wasn't hardest, but lighting it turned out to be a different story and frustration started to build up fast. 

Hand on his shoulder startled him, Kalyan dropped the matches when he twisted his body around to see Preston looking back at him, the gentle smile on man's lips made Kalyan want to snarl at the man. He bit his teeth together and swallowed the feeling. 

"Been a while you lit one of these?" Preston asked, removing his hand from Kalyan's shoulder. Man crouched next to him and started to do some rearrangements on the campfire structure. "It's probably good idea to put these smaller branches lean to bigger log here." 

It pissed Kalyan to watch how easily Preston lit it. 

How was he to find Shaun if he barely survived himself? Kalyan watched the fire lick the small twigs without really paying attention to what Preston was saying, words just slipped by. He had suddenly the urge to escape from the general area, Preston's friendly but reserved attitude was starting to grate his nerves just little too much in a very familiar way. It was like Kalyan was back with Codsworth just after he had stumbled out from the Vault. 

"Listen, I don't mean to be rude but I'm pretty drained and I need to check on Dogmeat.." He trailed off, waiting for the man to speak. 

Preston didn't seem offended, "Sure, though we better figure out the sleeping arrangements first, best keep guard up all time and not get caught sleeping. I'll take the first watch, no offence but those dark circles around your eyes make you look like someone gave you two black eyes." Preston placed the cans of meat near the fire. "Should have remembered to bring a kettle." 

Kalyan turned back inside, even if he wanted nothing more than to lay out the sleeping bag and crawl in, he did check the Dogmeat, animal was lying in a half shadows under the staircase leading to projector tower. Dog let him change the bandages and clean the wound even if it constantly pulled the leg away from him. 

Preston stood up when Kalyan finished with Dogmeat and returned. The man held can of potted meat on the other hand when he turned to Kalyan who now busily laid out the sleeping bag. 

"I’m going to go up in the tower, there’s better view and it's sheltered, I left you something to eat by the fire." 

Kalyan nodded, pretending he was still occupied with the sleeping bag. 

"You better eat something you know, you don't make it out here if you don't take care of yourself." Preston stood silently there for a moment. Then, the sound of his footsteps told Kalyan how Preston had entered the stairs. 

Kalyan eyed the can of meat by the fire, oh well, Preston was right about eating. He went to pick it up, and as on cue Dogmeat materialized from the inside and glued himself next to Kalyan who seated himself back to the sleeping bag, animal was probably hoping for the food. Kalyan ran his fingers over the dog's ribs. "Let's share then." 

Meat was lukewarm and tasteless but he ate half of it regardless before feeding the rest of it to Dogmeat. He had to shoo the animal away when he was done so he would be able to slip into the sleeping bag. Briefly, before Kalyan shut his eyes and tried to fall into tense sleep where he would wake up no less tired, he fiddled around his Pip-Boy until its sharp light started to sting his eyes too much. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Thank you for everyone whom have taken interest on this story!  
> \--Now, been a while huh? I can tell you that this fic hasn't just been rotting in my computer, I have just been working on few chapters ahead before fixing this one. I prefer to have few drafts on other chapters at ready so I can easily then focus on the next one I am going to publish.
> 
> //Hope you all have had enjoyed your summer up to this point.


	4. Lost

Mist crept up around the edges of Starlight Drive-In before it thickened to the point that all was drowned in white. Kalyan watched it from his post up in a projector tower where he had been send by Preston few hours before, after being woken up almost just when he had fallen asleep. Up to this point Kalyan had seen nothing move other than couple of rabbits and distant light far off. When he checked his Pip-Boy the screen declared it was 3:34 AM - November 1, 2287. Kalyan let his arm back down to rest against the windowsill and continued to stare as the swirling mist. 

It was startlingly silent Kalyan thought with slow shock, no sounds of distant traffic or airplanes, no people returning from the restaurants, no sound of cabs driving up in the neighbor’s house, no lights, just sound of dead branches rustling naked in the wind.

Downstairs Kalyan heard Dogmeat making silent wuffs and huffs, clearly deep in a dream.

Sitting up here alone made Kalyan restless, every slight noise had him jump and scan area couple of times carefully in case of- anything really, but when it was just silence it was worse, that was when his thoughts returned Shaun and Nora and time in between. It was hard to think two hundred years had passed since his world ended; for him it was only few weeks. Time was like some unseen beast that Kalyan didn’t want to think of.

_What if they took him years ago?_

Treacherous thought that lurked just below the surface. Kalyan showed it out of his mind and adjusted his pose, the chair had started to dig annoyingly against his back, and Kalyan hissed as he eased his position to lean against the casing more. His knee too had started to ache and already Kalyan knew it would get worse, his leg didn't take well on the cold, never had after he had returned from the war.

The late hours of night stretched on, and there was only clock of his Pip-Boy to keep him the company. Dogmeat, Kalyan thought nastily, was like your average dog, friend when he wanted the food or scratch, otherwise ready to ignore the humans.

Clock slowly trickled to: 4:56 AM. Kalyan rose up and went downstairs to wake Preston.

 

\----

 

"Didn't think it would turn this foggy overnight." Preston said from where he crouched down and dug out food from his backpack. There was slight downwards purse on man's full lips when he looked up at the milky white wall that had swallowed the world.

Kalyan gave him a half-hearted grunt, more occupied with the pressuring ache on his knee. It felt as of something hot had been wrenched between his joint and bone where it slowly grated against everything. He kept slowly rubbing it digging his fingers to the flesh harsher than he should. 

"We'll better wait for bit, I trust myself enough to think I would know relatively well how to find Diamond City in this weather- But I don't want to take changes we wouldn’t be able to see danger before its right front of us."

It made sense in every way, though Kalyan still didn't want to sit around here alone all day with a stranger and his hounding thoughts, but instead of saying anything he just mutely caught the can of water Preston tossed at him before Preston started to open up some more canned meat to them to eat.

"You hurt yourself at the museum?" Preston asked then, his voice laced with a concern.

Kalyan stopped massaging the leg, his fingers stilling on the fabric and pressing against his skin. Then slowly shook his head. It would have been easy to say ‘yes’ to that simple question, but then Preston would had probably insisted seeing to it at least. "It’s an old injury, doesn't like all that much of cold."

"I see, we can take breaks along the way if it’s giving you the trouble. Might make the hike longer but there's no reason to vex that leg unnecessarily."

"No need, it aches but I can walk." Kalyan didn't know what would wait him in Diamond City but getting there was something he really needed to do, with aching leg or not.

"Ah, well say if you need a breather. Though, we're not going anywhere just yet anyway."

Uninterestedly, Kalyan started to poke the cold meat inside meat can he had received with the fork he had dug from his own backpack. He used it to cut a small piece off from the mass before shoving it to his mouth. Can he placed between his thighs next to the canned water to free his other hand, so he could use the Pip-Boy, Kalyan wanted to study the outdated map to get used to it and to have something else to do than stare ahead into the fog like a lame minded man.

"You know we have a radio station right?" Preston asked.

_No. Kalyan hadn't_. He looked up from the map where there was a small dot at the Starlight- Dive-In's. Preston’s words, perhaps unintentionally, seemed to say. ' _I know you're not from here._ ' Clearly Kalyan would have known of the radio otherwise.

"Diamond City Radio, here let me look it up." Preston reached his hand over to Kalyan's Pip-Boy and Kalyan hesitatingly allowed the man to confiscate his arm.

"Actually," Preston continued his one sided chat as the man carefully fiddled with the controls of the Pip-Boy, "There's few of them working, but only two really sound all across the Commonwealth, and the other one just plays nonstop some pre-war classical."

Kalyan cocked an eyebrow at that, then realized Preston couldn’t see that and cleared his voice "Oh?"

"Well, the other one would be of interest only to those who enjoy Mozart and Bach, so not everybody even knows it exist, most folks just listen to Diamond City Radio, you get the news that way." 

"I can't say I'm fan of classics, I'm more of Rock'n Roll and blues kind of man." Kalyan admitted, watching Preston as he tried to find the right station.

"Figures, you seem like that sort of guy with hair like that." Preston said without lifting his eyes from the Pip-Boy. "You know, some kids back in Quinc- I mean, some kids I knew made up this silly story the other station being haunted one where some pre-war ghost kept playing the songs forever."

Kalyan noticed Preston correct himself, he had already gathered something had happened to these people, and it seemed what had transpired had done so in Quincy. They had fled a long distance from there then.

"But I think it’s just one more abandoned radio station that plays in loop whatever was left in the machine when the bombs dropped. You find those occasionally but most only work on certain ranges anymore." Sure to Preston's words radio suddenly stopped its statics white noise and quiet tune of a melody, one, Kalyan recognized as a Swan Lake drifted from the speakers.

"The ghost radio I presume." Kalyan murmured dryly.

"Indeed it is, not really my cup of tea either. Let’s see if I find the Diamond City Radio, might be bit early to get any news but then again might not you never know with the DJ, he’s is bit jittery poor man." Preston continued fiddle and the Swan Lake drifted into oblivion as the static noise returned until suddenly much more cheerful song, one that Kalyan didn't recognize blared from the Pip-Boy and Preston leaned away from his personal space.  
Kalyan was relieved to have Preston move off, having stranger who was also armed this close to his person made Kalyan tense. He started to scratch Dogmeat lazily on the neck, dog had sat up from Kalyan’s feet when Preston had started to tune his Pip-Boy.

He felt Dogmeat sift under his hand before it got up to stand, Kalyan pulled his hand back to his lap when the animal wandered away, to sniff around meager bushes further away. The song ended and music waned before another song started up and Kalyan gingerly started to stretch his pained leg, if he wanted to do any walking today he had to try get it less irritated. Quiet was once again breached by Preston’s calm voice.

"So I was thinking we skirt around Cambridge, though we'd best avoid getting into the city at that part, it’s pretty restless in there.. Lots of Raiders taking up a post and some First-Gen's, no idea why they're poking around there though."

Kalyan who had been halfway sticking another lumpy mass of meat into his mouth stopped and left the fork hover just a breath away from his lips. "First-Gens?" He asked before could stop himself. 

"You know them synths? I guess there haven't been so many First-Gens around in a while."

 

Kalyan nodded and stuck the meat lump into his mouth tasting around warm but flavorless food, asking more about these _Synths_ would expose Kalyan to Preston more he liked so instead he chewed on the rubbery meat and listened Preston's plan for the day. Rest of his food he fed to the Dogmeat who happily slurped it down, and then bounced up to give a wet kiss against Kalyan's jaw, Preston laughed at the pair, corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled.

\---

 

By the time they left Starlight behind, mist had started to dissolve and all that was left were its ragged tatters and dim haze that made world oddly gray. Dogmeat trotted ahead even if its pace was slow for the active dog, still it was at high spirit tail wagging lazily as it went. Sometimes it would stop and watch at Kalyan and Preston to make sure they were still following. They soon switched the road for train tracks and followed along the line of it, somehow the act itself served to remind Kalyan of his youth spend in small town where nothing ever happened. Train tracks there had been their playground.

A short distance away Dogmeat stopped sniff at the tree stump before lifting its hind leg to mark it. 

 

From the haze emerged a train thrown across the landscape, some of its carts were still at the tracks but mostly entire thing was scattered around the area. Kalyan noticed Preston stop briefly and scan the train carts, gun lifted just barely and followed the lead. Man tossed a rock and waited, "Thought there might be some Ferals." Preston said as he lowered the musket he was carrying, eyes still roaming from cart to cart as they passed. Kalyan kept his own gun ready but silence stayed unbroken apart their own footfall. 

Kalyan still wasn't sure where exactly Diamond City was expect that it was supposed to lay somewhere at the edges of Boston ruins. _Ruins_ , Preston had used as a loose term since the bones of the city were still crawling with people of all sort of character. They, Preston had said, should try to keep out of sight. "Especially criminals like to use ruined city as their showdown arena and it only gets worse closer you are the Goodneighbor. Place is thick with thieves and mercs and crime bosses, every scumbag of Commonwealth you can imagine." Preston mused, perhaps bit more heat behind the words than Kalyan would have expected.

" Goodneighbor?" Kalyan asked, he hardly spared glance at Preston preferring keep it in the area instead, something moved between the trees nearby but Kalyan couldn’t tell what it was, animal probably.

"It’s a city, in a way, place where ugly underbelly of this place really shows. It’s really not good place, not that the Diamond City is heaven but it is better than its twin." The fog and cold air rose as puffy steams from Preston’s mouth and framed his face in soft white.

Kalyan inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Not your favorite place then." Perhaps it would be a worthy to see the city, image of a man clad in leather handgun poised at Nora was still clear in his mind and he certainly seemed the type that would hang around in place Preston just described, though Kalyan kept this to himself.

"Nowhere near, I have been there once and truly that was all I care to see about whole place." Preston said with a huff of laugh.

Wind picked up when they finally traversed off from the train tracks, and from a distance there were clouds gathering in dark grey masses that promised rain. The sight alone made Kalyan want to hurry but the pain at his right-knee was starting to build up in a way that vowed he would have to pay from sleeping on a cold floor and walking around in this chilly miserable weather. Dogmeat too had slowed down considerably; clearly the pain on dog's leg was back as well, though the animal seemed still higher spirit than Kalyan himself felt.

Kalyan, being too deep in his own thoughts, hadn't noticed that Preston too had fallen quiet while back and was startled when the man suddenly spoke again.

"You know Kalyan, wasn't it? I know I don't really know the whole story... But I just wanted to say, if you're in some kind of trouble or something.. Well, I'm heading at Bunker Hill after dropping you off, to get those supplies we need but also to see if I could find couple of people whom I still consider friends, word is they're hanging around there now.. What I meant is that maybe we could help you." Preston fumbled over the words, clearly man had been mulling over them for some time before saying anything. "We all used to belong to this group. The Minutemen, we really used to help folks back then before we sort of fell apart and I thought you perhaps could come with me instead going off alone."

Kalyan turned his head to Preston, his lips falling slightly open, then he shook his head. "I think I’ll pass. Besides with leg like this, I don't think I fit in a group calling themselves 'The Minutemen'" No, this was a thing Kalyan was not getting tangled up with, it sounded every bit too complicated too if the way Preston avoided telling more was any indicator.

"It’s okay, I just had to ask, still, we could perhaps help you in some way.."

"Listen Preston, this isn't my first time alone I appreciate the helping hand but I can get by on my own." Kalyan cut the man off before Preston had change to say anything more. _What I need is_... He wasn't really sure what he needed, police probably, but he doubted he would find one. Kalyan adjusted his grip to the gun he was carrying, Preston had his own slug over the shoulder now but Kalyan just couldn't relax enough to put his own away. 

Preston's shoulders sagged for a moment, "Well I can't force you.. Simply thought maybe you would have wanted to stick around, you seem like a good guy." There didn't seem to be any malice when he spoke, perhaps a soft undertone of disappointment but man sobered up fast. "Anyway, the offer still stands even when we reach the Diamond City."

 

\----

 

Hours passed before they reached the edges of Boston and gentle rain started to fall from the grey clouds, effectively glueing Kalyan's hair against his scalp. Preston was lucky enough to have that ridiculous cowboy hat of his covering his head, water dripped over its edges leaving dark stains on the man’s shoulders and darkening the coat he wore. The outskirts of the old city felt both restless and quiet at the same time, smoke drifted from buildings and there were slight glints of light in some of their windows, but still it was quiet in manner of that they saw no one. First signs of the life they did see were big bold letters painted at the wall of a brick apartment building at the side of the road they followed; ' _The Great Green Jewel_ ' -at the side someone had painted _No ghouls allowed!_

Stepping deeper into the city felt briefly like the buildings had swallowed them up before the road begun to open up again, and then Kalyan recognized the way they traveled. He was almost amazed when he realized that the looming bulky ugly form of a Fenway Park had Diamond City painted on its walls, the city was _inside_ the Baseball station. 

The yard before the gates had a mixed crowd gathered about, either loitering around fire pits with dogs and curious beasts of burden with all sorts of things piled above their backs, or standing about near the gate itself. From beside Kalyan, who had stopped when his companion had, Preston muttered silently ' _What's going on?_ '

Kalyan inclined his head bit to the side to look at Preston, "Not a common occurrence this?" He asked and finally slung his sniper rifle over his shoulder when he noticed some people dressed in baseball gear had started to eye him, their hands on a gun in a casual but clear warning.

"No. I have no idea why the gates are shut. They wouldn't close the gates unless there's an emergency. We'd better go see ourselves." Preston said with a slight frown between his brows.

"Could there be another reason?" Kalyan asked looking at the mass of people milling at the front.

"Maybe, city's gone bit weird over the years." Preston admitted, man still had his eyes tightly on the people blocking the view of gates.

"Keep that dog near you pal." One of the men in their peculiar baseball gear suddenly called over to Kalyan.

Kalyan took his eyes off from Preston to catch Dogmeat's attention, who had started to wander towards the group of four people and their odd two headed cow. He whistled at the hound to catch it's attention and dog stopped its curious progression towards the group turning back at Kalyan. He rewarded the animal with a quick scratch behind it’s ear when it came back to him. "You’re looking for a new friend already?" He asked at the dog wagging its tail at him. Dogmeat only whined at him and licked Kalyan’s fingers when he pulled his hand away. Then he turned back only to find Preston gone, swallowed by the crowd and Kalyan couldn’t pinpoint him amidst of the bodies. He was about to start make his way towards the gates, but paused. He had only needed man's help to get here and perhaps now was a good point to detach himself from Preston entirely.

Uncertainty creeped through his system and he dug his fingers to Dogmeat's back as he turned to survey people around him, Kalyan could hear accents from all over, even languages that weren't English, Spanish and then some French. He took few tentative steps deeper inside the crowd away from the gates and no one paid him any attention, most being too busy to do so.

He walked through the crowd with unhurried pace, huddling his other hand inside his pocket, his leg was aching with such a vicious manner now that Kalyan was contemplating to sit down somewhere until it passed. The lights from the small campfires looked suddenly very attractive but he didn't dare to approach anyone. So he kept walking through the yard, trying not to favor his aching knee too much while Dogmeat settled next to him.

As he walked with the dog Kalyan heard snippets of various conversations, from places and events he didn't recognize, he saw people playing dice game and some clearly trading. Now it occurred Kalyan that lot of them were traders. At the edges there were lights from some of the nearby buildings, perhaps shelter for the luckiest ones.

Kalyan tugged his collar that sagged slightly under the rain letting the wind blow right in.

"Hey you!"

Kalyan stopped in mid pace, uncertain, he looked over his shoulder to see a young woman, bundled up in layers of clothes, with a brown hair and a messy bob haircut had risen half up from a nearby fire. She waved her hand slightly to make sure she had his attention before grinning widely. Kalyan noticed she was missing one of her front teeth.

 

"Nice ink." She called and pointed at Kalyan's neck where he knew his tattoos were peeking from under drooping neckline. Then she motioned him to join the loose circle of the three people that occupied their meager campfire with her.

Kalyan stood still, not immediately making any moves towards her. He considered moving on but in the end warmth that radiated from the fire won over some dank corner he would end up otherwise. Dogmeat was first to join the small group and seemed happy when the woman who had caught their attention started to pet the him. As Kalyan stepped nearer he felt the fire drive out the chill from where the warmth touched.

"Well aren't you a fish out of water. You're from umm.. Vault eighty-one?" The woman asked as she left Dogmea alone.

"N-yes." Kalyan replied, _so there are surviving Vaults here_. Information he stored carefully away. He might find some answers from there of where to find Shaun, it wouldn't be too far from fetched that Vault-Tech had personnel to move their.. guinea pigs around when needed.

"Knew it, the lost look sort of gives you people away when you're up here. You're on a scouting mission or something? Those who come up to trade never take off the jumpsuit thing."

"Betsy, don't be rude and poke into other people’s business." Old man grumbled near her between the smoke he was busily releasing from between his chapped lips.

Betsy looked at the smoking man for a moment before she made a halfhearted nod and turned her attention back at Kalyan, her eyes trying to peel under the collar of his coat. "I'm Betsy by the way, mind if I take a look of that?" She pointed at the three jellyfishes Kalyan knew were circling his neck.

"Kalyan." He gave her his name while he gently peered the collar down and let her lean closer but not touch. She seemed to sense his unwillingness to be this close to a stranger and made no move to lean further in.

Betsy made a low long whistle, "Neat, odd subject to be sure but neat, nice color by the way. That been one talented artist there, color tattoos on the dark skin don't always really stick out so well."

That Kalyan could agree. He had been worried that the tattoo would come off looking muddled against his skin but man who had made it knew his stuff. He tucked the collar back up and Betsy leaned away from him.

For a moment distinct sound of shouting carried over the gathered people and Kalyan turned slightly at the direction of the sound but couldn't tell who it was was. He turned back at Betsy and her companions, "You know why the gate's been closed?"

"Reporter." Said one of the leather-armored men sitting around uninterested.

"Reporter?" Kalyan cocked a brow.

"She keeps writing there are synth inflators in the city, it makes people nervous. It creates paranoia and now there was some sort of shootout because of it. They threw her out." Man said lighting a cigarette he had dug from the coat pocket.

"So they don't let anyone in?" Kalyan asked and felt spike of frustration to nestle itself against his chest.

"No one in and no one out reporter's been there now for some time shouting at the security. I bet the city's like a Stingwing nest at the moment." Man replied and took a drag of his cigarette; its smoke lazily curled and rose to the grey sky.

"I wonder _did they have Synth inside_? Would make more sense why they have gates closed. Tough being left outside though, you have someone to meet inside?" Betsy leaned closer to the flickering fire.

"Sort of, I'm looking for someone." Kalyan replied, he was starting to feel that this was good time to quit the group. They were nice chat, but Betsy pried too much for Kalyan's comfort and even if the heat of the fire felt nice, he suddenly felt too crowded with them. So he took a step away from the warm light, son of a... The leg felt like there were needles stuck between his bone and muscles but he still managed to move and that was all that mattered, Kalyan ignored Dogmeat's sad whine when he noticed they were going to move away from the warmness, he trusted dog would follow when he left. "It's been a nice chat but I think I need to go, thanks."

"Keep safe man!" Betsy replied Kalyan's short wave with her more enthusiastic one.

Covering up his limp Kalyan sought the shelter near the walls of Fenway Park, not that it sheltered him from the rain or wind, but at least he had something to lean against. From the corner of his eyes Kalyan saw couple of guys in those baseball getups eyeing him, he probably stood out because the Pip-Boy dangling from his wrist, only one he had seen. Kalyan pointedly crossed his arms and turned his attention at the argument going on before the gates, he felt Dogmeat press against his better leg and shiver. "I know friend.. I know" Kalyan rasped, he was cold and miserable too.

Argument at the gates went on over an hour, and Kalyan watched it progress, there wasn’t nothing else to do anyway, he couldn't hear what was being said but could guess the general tone of it from the angry gestures of a tiny woman in a red coat, gestures that were mirrored by a wide man and dressed like he owned the city. On Kalyan's feet Dogmeat lied in a miserable lump, its fur plastered against the body and he himself didn't fared much better. He felt how the dog shivered then and again and felt his frustration grow.

Then a man emerged from inside the city, his clothing mirrored the ones that Kalyan had guessed were the city’s security. He couldn't see man's face but from the rigid pose Kalyan conclude this man was having probably as good time as he and Dogmeat were. New man leaned close to the wide man, and they had some sort of heated whisper conversation, in which during, more security appeared behind the new comer, loitering unsurely about.

He was about to turn his head away when the woman's voice rose over the general quiet murmuring around the yard.

"--And still you don't believe the Institute has their claws sunk into Diamond City!"

Kalyan wasn’t sure which one of the men she was addressing, or what was The institute but listened in anyway, he saw other people nearby turn on the three at the gates too, abandoning all they were doing and took blatant interest of the happenings.

"Why do you make everything about the Institute Piper! Man went crazy because the shit you print! He was trying to shoot his brother because he thought--"

"I only tell them the truth!"

"What truth Piper? One in your head, there are no Synth in Diamond city!"

"And how do you know? You can't tell them apart unless you kill one!"

"So that is your advice then, shoot everyone you think is a Synth!"

"What? No- No!"

Again the tone muted, now drowning under muttering of the restless crowd, though Kalyan could still visually follow what happened at gates. The woman seemed to sag, almost like someone had torn screws off from the automatic toy. Clearly she was losing the fight, though she didn't budge. Wide man gestured around the security personnel who made some steps towards her before the man who had arrived made a stopping motion with his hands and stepped between the woman and the man she was arguing with. Other man seemed to argue briefly with him before he too called off the security. It looked like the woman just avoided being dragged off to who knows where.

Then a loud screech filled the air, sound startled the Dogmeat who almost flew on its legs, yelped and then settled to sit down its ears perked. Kalyan watched now in great interest how the gates slowly opened up. It seemed they finally had resolved whatever had happened inside the city and started to let people in.

"Let’s see if we can find a place get off from this fucking rain." Kalyan muttered and patted his leg, Dogmeat stood up and gave himself a throughout shake most of the water ending on Kalyan, not that it made any difference, his clothes were already wet. 

They moved in with tense and somewhat irritated people, it was easy to blend into midst of moving bodies and besides security didn't seem too keen on inspect anyone particular. Closer up Kalyan saw glimpse of the woman who had held argument with the man, she was slinking in from the gates too and then disappeared in the same crowd Kalyan was trying to fade too. He forgot about her as soon he saw how people here had transformed Fenway Park, every inch available was covered by buildings, they went all the way up where upper seating, VIP stations and sportscaster booths had been. Place was now an unreal bustling city filled to the brim, and as he moved he saw small alleys weave their way into the city though some roads such as this stayed wide and open and went all the way down where the baseball stadium had once been.

City itself smelled of stale things, rotting meat, and too many bodies packet into one place toppled with waft gasoline that came with the smoke rising from generators here and there. It was bizarre experience seeing the place as it was. Aimlessly Kalyan followed the people downwards the main road until he reached what was the marked.

The market at the center was rows of stalls squeezed next to each other, circling around a food stop where a lonesome Protectron unit was standing behind the counter constantly prattling in Japanese and occasionally serving a cup of noodles to someone sitting down and dropping a few bits of something on the counter.

Kalyan narrowed his eyes and moved closer, taking a pretended interest in a gruesome blood splatter at nearby, and he wasn't only one looking. There were people who lingered clearly around just in purpose of gossiping about what had transpired here hours before. Kalyan spotted a cracked teeth lying near the food stall, and there were still some blood at the side of one of the bar stools. He looked away when another customer came to the robot and dropped glinting pieces on the counter. Kalyan was surprised to see they were plain ordinary bottle caps. Robot swept them over the table before handing a bowl of steaming noodles to the man.

He didn't move far from the noodle counter, just closer to the shadowy crease between gun shop and some sort of general store run by Mister Handy which was currently haggling with a woman who had her haul spread all over the ground. Kalyan paid them no mind, instead he watched the people huddle around and eat. In his part it wasn’t so much a hunger that drove his thoughts at the moment him but the need of currency, Kalyan needed money that was painfully obvious and since the couple of rumbled old bucks he had found from his house wouldn't help him he had to find money elsewhere. _And here you are, considering a theft_. He snorted; one eye of the Mr. Handy’s nearby turned to him.

"Sir over there is right... sixty caps is way too high asking price, lady."

"'s not, you know how hard these are to get?"

Kalyan wasn't a pick poked, and he had mostly tested his lock picking skills to the doors of his old school alongside his home’s, but Kalyan had stolen things before, mostly tobacco and small things lifted from stores, easy to hide but never he had tried to fish things from people person. So he abandoned the though as soon as it crossed his mind, he certainly would get caught on that. Instead he just needed one unattended wallet or bag. Kalyan stepped away from the crack he had hid and left Mr. Handy to its troublesome seller. Kalyan gingerly took his cold hands out of the pockets he had stuffed them and darted back at the midst of people. There wouldn't be all too many opportunities he was sure, so he needed to take the first one that came.

After a five minutes he spend walking around as if waiting for someone, which he told once to suspicious guard approaching him. A sudden fight that broke out provided Kalyan his change to snatch up some bottle caps. There was a man directly next to him, holding a pack back with open pocked and small pouch inside. Man was so aborted to watch two guys getting into fistfight while guards were trying to tear them apart that he didn't notice Kalyan to snatch the pouch and stuff it hastily into his coat pocket.

" _Come on Dogmeat_.." He mumbled as he made a hasty retread towards one of the alleys leading who knows where. The way his nerves were all jumbled from the act reminded Kalyan of his juvenile years and the feeling he had had every time they had nicked something from the shops.

_Here I am getting giddy like some 15 year old over a few stole bottle caps_. Nora would absolutely fucking kill him if she ever knew what he had done, and then the sudden thought brought pain in his chest like he had swallowed bag of glass. For a dump moment he had to stop and lean against the wall when the humming of his ears became overwhelming. _She can't say nothing, she’s_ …He felt Dogmeat's nose against his wrist when the dog leaned closer to him, Kalyan didn't react just pressed further against the rough concrete wall behind his back. There was only white noise in his ears and world was slow around him but the moment passed and all the noises rushed in leaving his legs feeling shaky.

"I'm okay boy." He said when he felt dog's wet tongue curl against the palm of his hand. "I'm okay -just needed a moment." He curled his fingers into the wet fur on Dogmeat's neck briefly, to reassure himself or the distressed dog he wasn't sure. Kalyan took a shaky breath and stood up again, people who were passing him by gave him sidelong glances. _Probably thinking I'm high_ , he thought dully.

Kalyan started to walk again, no real direction in mind other than find shelter from the rain. There were fewer people at the alleyway than at the main road, most hurrying in one way or another. Dogmeat no longer dragged behind or trotted before him, it stayed right next to him unwilling to leave Kalyan to his own, occasionally it touched his hand.

They wandered the road, he and Dogmeat, before the dog suddenly stopped and let out a bark forcing Kalyan to stop as well, "What?" He asked and the dog wagged its tail before taking couple of steps down the small staircase to their left. Kalyan followed it with his eyes before looking up and reading the sign: ' Dugout Inn'

"Really, you want to stay at hotel?" Kalyan quirked a brow at the dog, dry smile forming to his lips before he took away only to find out that Dogmeat showed no indication it was going to follow, instead it went to the door intently staring at the handle. Kalyan sighed, he was yanked around by the dog and he didn't even care he simply trudged after it and opened the door for the animal.

Music, rising and lowering murmur of voices hit Kalyan in the face same time with a warm air did when he stepped inside and let the door close behind him. Smell of cigarettes and grease, and undertones of vomit lingered in the air as Kalyan followed Dogmeat who wove its way around the cluster of people with ease. Kalyan saw how it jumped up against the counter, placing its paws over it, and he wanted to turn right around. _That isn't my dog._

Man standing behind the counter abandoned his talking buddy and turned to Dogmeat, Kalyan watched myriad of emotions on his face, surprise and then clear recognition.

"Ah if it isn't the best nose in the entire Commonwealth, how are you doing friend?" Man had really heavy Russian accent that rolled from his tongue as he talked to the dog like long-time friend.

Dogmeat backed down the floor again and turned around to look at Kalyan with a pleased expression of a dog that was sure it had done something clever. There was a wide smile of utter welcome on the bartender’s face when Kalyan finally met his brown eyes. 

"I was expecting someone else but I see he has found himself a new friend." Man motioned Kalyan to come closer and he cautiously crossed the room. "You seem like shit my friend, no offence. Nothing my Moonshine can't fix though."

"I'm not sure he needs some Vadim.. I mean he looks little ill.. I didn't mean it as a bad way.. um, sorry." Speaker was bartender’s earlier talking buddy, Kalyan wasn't sure was he talking to him or the almost full glass of beer he had front of him. Man was clutching the glass tightly enough that his fingers were white at the joints and Kalyan saw him go red all the way down to his neck when he noticed he had Kalyan’s attention.

"I wasn't after alcohol anyway. I was looking for a place to stay for the night, though it looks this is packed already." Kalyan said dismissively and ignored the embarrassed young man, figuring he didn't want any more attention anyway. Kalyan eyed the room where at least fifteen people had packed in.

"Full house." Bartender proclaimed proudly while stroking the counter gently like it was a living thing.

"That’s what I thought, Dogmeat come on boy." He said dully, not really disappointed for he had seen the amount of people heading inside the city. Kalyan tapped dog's shoulders to get its attention and exhausted brown eyes darted up at him.

"But never too full for Dogmeat or his buddies, the rooms are taken but I can give you some nice nook.. maybe the laundry room." Bartender smiled with all his teeth on show.

"You can't stick people in laundry room.. I mean.. that not.. Yefim doesn’t like it.. I don't want to drive you out I just.. It’s not very nice." Kid at Kalyan's right mumbled down to his beer.

"I stick people who pass out here there all the time, can't throw them out in winter and Dogmeat never complains." Vadim leaned in bit closer and Kalyan could smell alcohol from the man's breath.

"Its a-a dog." The young man at the side sounded mildly scandalized.

Kalyan wasn't going to turn down a change to sleep in somewhere where was dry at least. "I don't mind either, it’s not any worse than outside." He said fast and earned a laugh from Vadim.

"See, there a man who’s ready for some adventures Travis!"

"It’s a laundry room.. not an adventure.."

"Small details! But Travis here is right, my brother won't be happy if I just let people to sleep in laundry room for free. So I have to charge something, not a full price.. How about seven caps and laundry room is all yours, I steer the passed out ones elsewhere." Vadim grinned at him.

Kalyan didn't think twice, he dug out the small pouch he had nicked earlier and counted carefully seven old and battered caps before he dropped them Vadim's open palm.

"Now my brother can't throw you out or nag at me!" Vadim slipped the caps out of view and waved his hand around to catch attention of a young woman who was collecting empty glasses from nearby tables. When she looked up and started to approach Travis suddenly had a fit of coughs and went even redder than before he excused himself, swiftly retreating from the inn leaving his beer behind. 

 

"Poor man." Vadim shook his head gazing after the retreating back of Travis. "He likes her but is painfully shy."

Kalyan made vague noise not really interested but that didn't seem to bother Vadim who turned to his waitress and instructed her to watch the bar for a while. She looked at Kalyan over Vadim's shoulder “laundry room again?” she asked, clearly the laundry room saw lot of use.

"Come on friend, quick before my brother catches a wind of us and comes berating me from taking in strays."

Vadim steered them through the full lobby, people parted easily as they walked past them giving a way to the bartender some even nodded at Vadim as went. The man gave each a slight drunk addled friendly smile, then he led them towards a small nook that was like a beginning of a hallway but with only one door and Vadim let them through it. Inside there was, curiously, a working washing machine that hummed at the corner. Some laundry lines had yellowing sheets drying on them and at the very back there was dingy mattress with a grey wool cover thrown over it.

Kalyan turned to Vadim, "Thanks." He said, still baffled by the hospitality shown to him.

"Nah, Dogmeat crashes here sometimes then begs for scraps and leaves like a bad lover." Vadim burst out laughing at his own joke and didn't seem to care that Kalyan didn't even twitch a muscle. "Ah.. I suppose I need to get back, can't have my waitress do my job or I need to start pay her double! But you I see tomorrow I hope, you seem like interesting type, we don't get all too many Vault-dwellers up here." Vadim nodded at the Pip-Boy secure around Kalyan's wrist when he went past him. "The lights go out from the switch behind you, good night friend."

"Night."

Lumpy mattress sunk a little under Kalyan when he half fell down to sitting on it, stifling a groan when he finally was able to get off from the pained leg and close his eyes against the yellow light. Kalyan carted a hand through his hair noticing how dirty it was, wet strands dragged against his fingers when he pulled his hand off. He opened his eyes again, he needed to check Dogmeat's leg and get off all the wet clothing he could afford to peel away. Neither of the tasks really tickled his fancy but sitting here wet would only serve him by getting him sick. He tiredly called Dogmeat to get it move closer, it was best to start with the dog he decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had in mind to update this fic during summer, but it turned to be so hellishly hot all the time that I was barely able to write anything-- the frustration bled bit into this chapter so I spend lot of time editing it into something that I felt I could publish.  
> It will likely take some time to get next chapter up as well since I need heavily edit parts of it and I plan again write few chapters ahead.
> 
> Thank you again everyone who have taken interest in this fic, and of course left comments and kudos!


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